Device and method for an electronic tag game

ABSTRACT

A device combining a gun and target for facilitating a game of tag using infrared light communications and augmented reality with one or more players is provided. The device includes infrared transmitters and infrared receivers to facilitate omni-directional two-way communication between two or more devices and a shaped housing facilitating handling of the device by a user. The housing includes a grip portion with a finger-operable trigger and a barrel portion. A mobile electronic device is used as an accessory to provide single player and multiplayer augmented reality game play and a user-interface including a display and a touch screen for programming the device and controlling various game and device functions.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a division and continuation of U.S. application Ser.No. 13/549,167 filed Jul. 13, 2012 now U.S. Pat. No. 8,469,824 which isa continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 12/335,201 filedDec. 15, 2008, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,303,421 which is a division andcontinuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/951,025 filed Sep.27, 2004 now U.S. Pat. No. 7,632,187 which are both incorporated hereinby reference in their respective entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to electronic games, and more particularly, tothe combination of a device and method for facilitating a game of tagusing infrared light communications and a video display shooting gamesimulating a game of tag using light detection technology whereinactive, accessory based configuration is accomplished by communicationbetween the device and the accessory, and also more particularly, to thecombination of a device and method for facilitating a game of tag usinginfrared light communication and a mobile electronic device for enhanceddisplay information and augmented reality gaming.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

As known in the art, infrared electronic games include communicationdevices for transmission and reception of infrared light signals,operating on the same principle as a remote control for a television.Infrared shooting games typically include two channels of infraredcommunication, namely, a channel for transmitting an infrared signal(i.e., a tag or shot) and a channel for receiving the transmittedinfrared signals. Such infrared electronic shooting games involve two ormore players, each equipped with an apparatus for sending infraredsignals (e.g., a gun) and an apparatus for receiving infrared signals(e.g., a target), wherein the object of the game is to target and shootopponents with an infrared signal, thereby scoring a “hit” or a “tag”until only one player or team remains in the game.

Such infrared electronic shooting games are relatively well known andhave been available since about 1985. For example, one infraredelectronic shooting game sold beginning in about 1986 by WORLDS OFWONDER™, permitted players to fire invisible beams at one another witheach player being provided with a game unit for emission of an infraredlight beam. In the WORLDS OF WONDER™ game, a target was affixed to eachplayer in order to count the number of “hits” registered by the targetassociated with each player. In the WORLDS OF WONDER™ game, a player wastagged “out” when six hits were registered for that player. Otherinfrared electronic shooting games that are known include indoor arenagames such as LAZER QUEST™ and the like.

The earliest infrared electronic games had difficulty operating in veryharsh environments of direct and indirect sunlight, as well as in theenvironment of indoor lighting. As disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,904,621to Small et. al, for “Electronic Game With Infrared Emitter and Sensor,”issued May 18, 1999, a series of encoded infrared light signals may besent with an infrared transmitter for providing a “signature” signalsubstantially longer in duration than abrupt changes in ambient lightingconditions to facilitate gameplay. The disclosed encoding of infraredsignals additionally enabled special game and/or device features.However, although such infrared encoding made games more interestingand/or challenging to the participants, infrared electronic shootinggames available for purchase by the general public were somewhat limitedin functionality and gameplay in comparison to indoor arena games.Therefore, in view of the foregoing, an improved device and method foran infrared electronic shooting game would be welcome.

Prior art infrared electronic games such as U.S. Pat. No. 4,695,058 toCarter III et. al, for “Simulated Shooting Game With ContinuousTransmission of Target Identification Signals,” issued Sep. 22, 1987,traditionally operated on two channels of infrared communication. Insuch systems, one signal was provided for transmitting an infraredsignal while another channel received an infrared signal, therebylimiting the amount of data transmitted between two or more gameapparatus. It would be desirable for an infrared electronic game tooperate on more than two channels of infrared communication to allow formore complex game features and advanced user options to make the gamemore interactive and challenging.

Furthermore, it would be desirable for the game apparatus to provide anenhanced user interface for more interactivity between players andbetween a player and apparatus.

Other variations that can be used to further enhance the game playingexperience include active accessory based configuration of hardware andsoftware operation. That is, attaching or removing accessories altersboth the look and the operation of the shooting device. This enhancesthe game by adding variations in weapon types and operation to createmore realistic combat situations or more enticing fantasy combatsituations. The accessory based configuration also enhances strategicaspects of the game playing experience by allowing players to balancethe advantages and disadvantages of each configuration and make tacticaldecisions regarding specific combat situations. Audio feedback fromfiring and reloading sounds will also enhance the impression of changedperformance.

Software configuration includes such things as firing modes, firingrates, the number of shots between reloads, the number of reloads, thedamage per shot (“hit points”), the number of shields, the number ofhits that will knock a player out of the game, and the sounds associatedwith specific events. The firing modes are used to simulate varioustypes of weaponry mechanisms such as bolt-action sniper rifles,semi-automatic guns, burst fire guns such as assault rifles,fully-automatic machineguns, and shotguns.

Hardware configuration includes altering the physical characteristics ofthe infrared beam such as by changing the electrical current whichcontrols the intensity of the infrared LED, or changing the arrangementof lenses which control the spread angle of the beam.

The prior art includes similar devices that have switches built into theweapon to alter the firing style between semi-automatic and fullyautomatic firing or to alter the characteristics of the infrared beam.Altering the firing style has been accomplished by using an electricalswitch connected to the processor to set semi-automatic orfully-automatic modes and by using a sliding variable resistor to adjustthe current and the intensity of the infrared beam. Altering theinfrared beam has been accomplished mechanically by using a switch tomove a pinhole blinder into or out of the optical path, by using abarrel extension to narrow the beam in a manner similar to using apinhole, or by using a mechanical switch to move lenses into and out ofthe optical path.

The prior art does not include devices or systems that alter the numberof hit points, provide for adjustable firing rates, allow variablenumbers of shots between reloads, or utilize different sound effects fordifferent firing modes, in response to varying physical configurationsof the gun. Additionally, the prior art offers no strategic reason notto configure the device for a wide-beam, high power, fully-automaticmode because there is no significant disadvantage to the player fordoing so. Moreover, switching between configurations in the prior artdid not noticeably alter the appearance of the device.

It would be desirable for the game apparatus to offer the variation inboth the software configuration and the hardware configuration describedabove that does not exist in the prior art. Additionally, it would bedesirable for the game apparatus to have a different appearance and touse different sound effects for each variation in the software andhardware configurations.

Electronic shooting games have also been extremely popular for a singleuser in the form of devices that are attachable to a display, such as atelevision or a computer. In the prior art, such devices have typicallyused a photosensor equipped gun to process photo signals and to sendprocessed information to the display. However, the prior art does notinclude such devices in combination with the type of infrared devicedescribed above.

It would be desirable to combine an infrared device for use with two ormore players with a single player electronic shooting game device asjust described and to provide the variability of configurationsdescribed above in a single device. Such a device would provide bothincreased realism and enjoyment and would also allow a more engagingmeans for the single player to become familiar with the simulatedweapon's operation.

One such embodiment removably couples a mobile electronic device havinga camera, such as an iPhone™ or an Android™ phone, to the infrareddevice and provides intelligent two-way communication between the twodevices. The touch screen on the mobile electronic device is used foruser input and as a heads up display for game related informationoriginating from both the mobile electronic device and the infrareddevice. The camera, in combination with a sensor that produces datadefining the real-time spatial orientation of the mobile electronicdevice, allows for single player and multiplayer augmented realitygaming along with traditional Lazer Tag™ where virtual objects andanimations are superimposed on the real-time image captured by thecamera and responsive to trigger pulls on the infrared device.

The prior art discloses Lazer Tag type games using a wireless telephoneand standard communications technology. U.S. Patent Application No. US2002/0111201 to Lang, for “Location-Based Game System”, published Aug.15, 2002 discloses a location-based game of laser tag where each playerwears a laser tag sensor coupled to the user's wireless telephone andthe wireless telephone provides location and other data, includingnumber of hits, to a central computer of a wide area network. Thenetwork may include technology such as Bluetooth, WiFi and cellular,with the orientation of mobile phones using a common referencecoordinate frame.

The prior art also discloses combining guns with cameras. U.S. Pat. No.4,955,812 to Hill, for “Video Target Training Apparatus for Marksmen,and Method”, issued Sep. 11, 1990 discloses a gun-resembling member withan optical system that captures an image through the sight at theinstant of pulling the trigger. U.S. Patent Application No. US2004/0031184 to Hope, for “Optical Imaging Device for Firearm ScopeAttachment”, published Feb. 19, 2004 discloses an electro-opticalrecording device, such as a digital still camera or a video recorder,optically connected to the scope sight of a firearm that operates whenthe trigger of the firearm is actuated. U.S. Patent Application No. US2005/0252063 to Flannigan, for “Imaging System for Optical Devices”,published Nov. 17, 2005 discloses an imaging system for use with anoptical device that splits an image into two identical images, one toview and one to record. This system can be used in the scope sight of afirearm. U.S. Pat. No. 7,194,204 to Gordon, for “Photographic FirearmApparatus and Method”, issued Mar. 20, 2007 and U.S. Patent ApplicationNo. US 2006/0201046 to Gordon, for “Photographic Firearm Apparatus andMethod”, published Sep. 14, 2006 disclose a telescopic firearmscope/sight which is fully integrated with a compact digital camera, andwhich has size, shape and weight characteristics that are substantiallythe same as those of a conventional, camera-less telescopic scope thatis used to photograph a target proximate the instant at which the targetis fired upon.

The prior art further discloses systems and methods embodying how theinfrared device and the mobile electronic device may communicate usingthe audio/video/data ports on the two devices. U.S. Pat. No. 6,975,853to Fang et al., for “Personal Identification Device for MobileTelephone”, issued Dec. 13, 2005 discloses an external device thatconnects to the headphone jack of a mobile telephone and simulates voiceand data activity to convey a unique identification code. Other priorart relates to electronic devices with an A/V jack that receives aperipheral device and discriminates the functionality of the peripheraldevice. U.S. Patent Application No. US 2010/0000862 to Rao, for“Integrated Blood Glucose Measurement Device”, published Jan. 7, 2010discloses a blood glucose measuring device communicatively coupled to aweb enabled portable device to allow for data transfer between thedevices. U.S. Patent Application No. US 2010/0249965 to Rao et al., for“Integrated Blood Glucose Measurement Device”, published Sep. 30, 2010discloses a method of transferring data between a diagnostic measurementdevice and a portable consumer electronic device by communicativelycoupling the devices through the audio port of the consumer electronicdevice.

Other prior art also discloses combining a mobile electronic device,such as a smart phone, with a toy gun, using high frequency sound and apressure sensitive trigger switch. Others mount a smart phone on top ofthe toy gun so that a trigger pull causes plastic hammers to tap thetouch screen and cause a shot to go across the display, such as fingertouches on the touch screen would.

What would be desirable and what the prior art does not disclose is atraditional multiplayer Lazer Tag™ game enhanced by using a mobileelectronic device, such as an iPhone™ or an Android™ phone, to providesingle user and multiuser augmented reality and a heads up display. Asstated above, one such embodiment removably couples the mobileelectronic device having a display showing the real-time surroundingsusing a camera or some other means to the infrared device and providesintelligent two-way communication between the two devices. The touchscreen on the mobile electronic device is used for user input and as aheads up display for game related information originating from both themobile electronic device and the infrared device. The device, incombination with a sensor that produces data defining the real-timespatial orientation of the mobile electronic device, allows for singleplayer and multiplayer augmented reality gaming along with traditionalLazer Tag™ where virtual objects and animations are superimposed on thereal-time image captured by the camera or some other means andresponsive to trigger pulls on the infrared device. This and otherembodiments are ideal for using single player augmented reality to trainfor a multiuser Lazer Tag™ game in a way unknown in the prior art.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the present invention provide a gun and target device forfacilitating a game of tag using infrared light communications between aplurality of players, each player being equipped with a gun and targetdevice. Embodiments of the present invention also allow a single user touse the invention as a video game by attaching the invention to atelevision or a computer.

As described, the gun and target device includes a pistol-shaped housingwith a grip portion with a finger-operable trigger button, a barrelportion and a user-interface including a display such as an LCD screen,and a keypad for programming the device and controlling various gamefunctions. The pistol-shaped housing also encases an electroniccontroller coupled to two infrared transmitters and two infraredreceivers. The first infrared transmitter and first infrared receiverare positioned at the barrel portion of the gun housing and includelight lenses for both the source and the detector. The directionalinfrared source transmits a long-range infrared signal to a remote gameparticipant and the directional infrared detector receives anacknowledgment signal therefrom.

The second infrared transmitter and second infrared receiver arepositioned within a hemispherical-shaped dome on the top portion of thegun housing and comprise an omnidirectional infrared source and anomnidirectional infrared detector. The omnidirectional source regularlytransmits a short-range infrared signal which communicates teamaffiliation and other data to one or more remote game participants'devices, allowing said remote game participants' devices to indicateboth the presence of the first device and some information about thefirst device's role and status within the game.

The usage of two transmitters and two receivers each with differentcharacteristics enables each gun and target device to communicate fourchannels of infrared communication, thus allowing more complex gamingfeatures and advanced user options to make the game more interactive andchallenging. The embodiment includes the traditional scheme ofcommunication involving directing a directional infrared signal at anopponent's omnidirectional detector. This action is basis for a “hit” or“tag” being applied to a player. The additional infrared channels allowfor more communication (identification, location, statistical and otherdata) to take place between players before, during, and after a game ofinfrared electronic tag. For example, data transmitted via theomnidirectional transmitter of a first unit, upon being received by thedirectional receiver of a second unit, indicates to the second unit thatit has been successfully aimed at the first unit and can expect any tagsfired by the second unit to be received by the first unit. If the datatransmitted from said first unit is indicative of a hit having just beentaken, and if the second unit has just fired a tag, the second unit mayreasonably conclude that it has successfully tagged the first unit. Ifthe second unit receives this data on its omnidirectional receiverrather than on its directional receiver, then it may reasonably concludeboth that it is not aimed at the first unit, and that the first unit isin close proximity to the second unit. The communications betweenomnidirectional transmitter of a first unit and omnidirectional receiverof a second unit further enable a more convenient means of establishinginfrared communication between the two units for exchange of non-taginformation so that the users do not have to aim the two units at oneanother with the precision needed for communicating tags, but insteadneed only to come within reasonable proximity to one another tofacilitate such communications.

The electronic controller within the gun and target apparatus allows forseveral modes of gameplay for the players to utilize. Using the LCDscreen and user-operable buttons, the player that decides to begin agame of infrared electronic tag (a “host” player) chooses the parametersthat will govern the rules of the game. Once determined, theseparameters are sent from the host player's gun and target device to theother players' gun and target devices via short-range infrared signals.This wireless communication eliminates errors that might otherwise leadto different players not setting identical parameters on their owndevice and eliminates the need for all players to have advancedknowledge of how to configure the controller. Further, the use of theshort-range omnidirectional transmitters and the omnidirectionalreceivers for this process eliminates the need for the players tomaintain proper aim throughout this process.

During game play, the infrared communication between devices provideeach player with active feedback. For example, a player will be notifiedby the gun and target device when that player was tagged by an opponent,or whether that player tagged an opponent successfully. A player will benotified by the device whether a targeted remote player is a “friend” ora “foe.” A player will be notified when a “foe” is in close range ofthat player, indicating a proximity warning. The electronic controllerstores data during gameplay, including a record of tags received andother performance statistics. After a game of infrared electronic tag,the electronic controllers in each players' devices are able to sharestored data about the players' performance during the game.

The gun and target device also optionally includes a device, known as aheads-up-display (HUD) or head-mounted display (HMD), adapted forwearing on the head of a player, the HMD device removably coupled to thepistol-shaped housing. The HMD device includes a transparent eyepiecehaving a see-through display projected by an optical combiner andpartial mirror, thereby allowing the player to acknowledge signals fromthe gun and target device without taking their attention from thegameplay action.

Briefly summarized, the present invention relates to a device combininga gun and target for facilitating a game of tag using infrared lightcommunications between a two or more players, each player being equippedwith the device. The device includes two infrared transmitters and twoinfrared receivers and a shaped housing facilitating handling of thedevice by a user. The housing includes a grip portion with afinger-operable trigger, a barrel portion and a user-interface includinga display and a keypad for programming the device and controllingvarious game and device functions. A first infrared transmitter isdisposed at the barrel portion for transmitting a directional infraredsignal to another game participant and a first infrared receiverincluding collimating optics is disposed at the barrel portion forreceiving an acknowledgment signal therefrom in response to thetransmitted directional signal. A second infrared transmitter and secondinfrared receiver are disposed on the housing to facilitateomnidirectional two-way communications between two or more devices. Theomnidirectional transmitters and receivers facilitate communicationsbetween game players before, during, and after a game of infraredelectronic tag such as game setup, player identification and gameplayanalysis. Thus, the device operates to enable complex gameplay andadvanced user options to make the game more interactive and challenging.

The present invention also provides for active accessory basedconfiguration of the gun hardware and software operation, allowing forincreased variation in weapon behavior and appearance.

In a first preferred embodiment, accessories may be removably coupled tothe gun and may include choices between one of two barrels, one of twogrips, and one of two sights. Upon coupling one or more accessories tothe gun, a unique combination of switches are closed thus generatingidentifying signals which will be received by a first electroniccontroller housed in the gun to identify which accessories are attached.Consequently, based on the combination of attached accessories, thefirst electronic controller may determine how the physical configurationwill affect the gun's behavior by altering the software configuration tomatch the hardware configuration and physical appearance. This system iscalled an “active rail” system as the combination of accessoriesattached to the gun's mounting rails is actively sensed by the firstelectronic controller.

In a second preferred embodiment, an accessory may contain a secondelectronic controller so that when the accessory is attached to the gunthere will be a bidirectional channel facilitating communication betweenthe first electronic controller and the second electronic controller.Further, the gun may provide power to the accessory by way of theconnection so that the accessory need not contain a power source of itsown. This setup allows intelligent processor-to-processor communicationsbetween the gun and the accessory and is known as an “intelligent rail”system. As such, this system provides flexibility and may allow theaccessory to perform communications based functions such as gamedefinition, scoring, “healing” players, re-arming in games with limitedammunition, and the ability to switch between different infrared LEDsand optical paths.

Additional characteristics of a gun barrel accessory in either preferredembodiment may include additional infrared light emitting diodes(IRLED's) and/or additional lenses in the gun barrel accessory as wellas circuitry to inhibit the generation of an infrared signal from thegun so that such a signal may instead be generated in the gun barrelaccessory. This configuration may allow for a greater variation in thebeam pattern of the infrared signals.

The aforementioned accessories may be interchangeable during game playto alter the hardware and software operation during a particular game.Thus, the player may have added strategic considerations during a gameby being able to choose the best characteristics of the simulated weaponthat fit a particular battle situation. The preferred embodiment maycontain memory for the purpose of recording the number of times a givenaccessory is used during a particular game. This data may be used by theaccessories to record or limit the number of uses of specificaccessories by each player during the game.

The present invention further provides for an accessory which allows thegame apparatus to be used as an electronic shooting game for a singleuser when the apparatus is attached to a display, such as a televisionor a computer. That is, the present invention may be used as a videogame for a single user.

In a preferred embodiment, a light detector is built into the housing ofan accessory which mounts to the gun below the barrel. The lightdetector may be used to sense at a distance segments on the screen of araster scan display. The preferred embodiment also has a video gameprocessor built into the housing for generating video output to displaysimulated players and scenery on the screen. Afirst-live-player-operable button may be used to generate a triggersignal to the video game processor. The video game processor may thenuse the light detector and the trigger signal to determine theorientation of the weapon housing and where the gun was pointing whenthe player pulled the trigger. Both video and audio output may betransmitted to the raster scan display using standard RCA cables. Itwill be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the technology fordisplaying video images and for detecting the point-of-aim of video gameguns used in conjunction with such displays is constantly advancing, andthat the description specifically of raster-scan CRT type displays andphotocell detectors is not intended to limit the preferred embodiment toonly this specific technology.

A simulated player data structure may operate with the video gameprocessor to generate video output displaying at least one of thesimulated players shooting at the live player. The data structure willdetermine whether the simulated player hit the live player. A memorydata structure may also operate with the video game processor togenerate video output showing the real time damage effects to thescenery.

In another embodiment using an intelligent rail system, the hand helddevice is used for an infrared shooting game having one or moreparticipants where a single player or multiple players may use augmentedreality to shoot virtual objects and practice for multiuser games. Thehand held device has a shaped housing with a first directional infraredtransmitter disposed within the housing for transmitting directional IRdata using a narrow light beam, a first omni-directional field of viewreceiver disposed within the housing to receive IR data, a firstelectronic controller disposed within the housing and a first apparatusremovably coupled to the housing. The first apparatus, which may be asmart phone such as an iPhone™ or an Android™ phone, has a display and asecond electronic controller. When the first apparatus is coupled to thehousing, a carrier signal is sent between the first electroniccontroller and the second electronic controller for handshakecommunications.

During operation, a sensor is used that produces data defining thereal-time spatial orientation of the first apparatus. This data may beGPS data or some other relative coordinate based data or the like. Afirst data structure is used for storing the data defining the real-timespatial orientation of the first apparatus. A second data structure isused for storing data defining one or more virtual objects, and a thirddata structure is used for storing data defining the real-time spatialorientation of the one or more virtual objects relative to the real-timespatial orientation of the first apparatus. A first memory is used forstoring a real-time image of the field of view, and a second memory isused for storing a real-time image of the one or more virtual objectsthat are positioned such that the real-time spatial orientation of theone or more virtual objects relative to the real-time spatialorientation of the first apparatus is within the field of view. A thirdmemory stores a software program controlled by the second electroniccontroller that causes the image in the first memory to be shown on thedisplay and the image in the second memory to be superimposed over theimage in the first memory on the display.

In some embodiments, the shaped housing may have a body section, abarrel section and a grip section. A first infrared transmitter islocated in the barrel section and produces a substantially directionalbeam projecting forward from the housing. A first infrared receiver islocated in the barrel section and has a narrow field of view lookingforward of the housing and parallel to the beam of the first infraredtransmitter. A second infrared transmitter is located on top of orwithin the body section and has an omni-directional pattern whichilluminates an area approximately 360 degrees about the body. A secondinfrared receiver is located on top of or within the body section andhas an omni-directional view approximately 360 degrees about thehousing. A first electronic controller is disposed within the housingand connected electrically to the first and second infrared transmittersand first and second infrared receivers. An input device is connected tothe first electronic controller and receives commands from the humanplayer, and an output device is used for outputting status informationto the human player.

A bidirectional channel facilitates communication between the firstelectronic controller and the second electronic controller. The handheld device may have a fourth data structure for storing data defining areal-time virtual shot trajectory originating from the hand held deviceand in response to a first signal from the first electronic controllerto the second electronic controller, the software program causes a shotimage to travel across the display along the real-time virtual shottrajectory superimposed over the image shown on the display. When theshot image crosses a virtual object, the software program causes agraphical animation to appear on the display superimposed over thereal-time image of the field of view. During game play, the one or morevirtual objects travel within the display, and the software programcauses the one or more virtual objects to shoot a virtual shot towardsthe participant using the hand held device. The combination of the datain the first data structure, the second data structure and the thirddata structure determine whether the participant using the hand helddevice is hit by the virtual shot from the virtual object. In responseto a second signal from the first electronic controller to the secondelectronic controller, the software program receives game-related datasent from the first electronic controller to the second electroniccontroller and superimposes the game-related data over the real-timeimage of the field of view. Thus, the device provides for single playeror multiplayer augmented reality gaming in conjunction with multiplayerLazer Tag.

In multiplayer augmented reality games, the real-time image of the fieldof view is augmented by displaying a virtual shot in response to a firstcommunication from the first controller to the second electroniccontroller. The field of view is also augmented by displaying a hitanimation in response to a second communication from the firstcontroller to the second electronic controller. For example, during thegame, a virtual shot will be displayed in response to a trigger pullfrom a first player. If a second player's gun is within the firing rangeof the first player's gun, then a hit will register on the firstplayer's gun. The first controller will communicate with the firstapparatus, which will display an animation, such as an explosion.Further, a heads up display appears on the display in response to athird communication from the first electronic controller to the secondelectronic controller.

The hand held device may use a cable to couple the first apparatus tothe hand held device as the bidirectional channel facilitatingcommunication between the first electronic controller and the secondelectronic controller. The hand held device may further use a speaker toprovide audio feedback controlled by the software program and use atouch screen display for user input through the second controller.

In some embodiments, a second apparatus may be removably coupled to thedevice, the second apparatus sending an identifying signal to the firstelectronic controller when coupled to the device, which causes the firstelectronic controller to send a third signal from the first electroniccontroller to the second electronic controller and wherein in responseto the third signal, modifies the behavior of game play.

In sum, the present invention relates to a combination of an infraredshooting device for game play between two or more people and a lightdetecting shooting device for single player video game play. Theinvention also features accessory based hardware and softwareconfiguration of the gun to provide greater variation in the variablesdefining the characteristics of the weapon. Such accessory basedconfigurations can include embodiments using a display, touch screen andcamera to provide augmented reality to enhance the traditional shootinggame.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a first perspective view of an exemplary infrared shootinggame device;

FIG. 2 is a second perspective view of the device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an exemplary optional display device foruse with the device of FIGS. 1-2;

FIGS. 4A, 4B and 5 are schematic diagrams of an exemplary electricalcircuit in accordance with the devices of FIGS. 1-3;

FIG. 6 is a plan view of an exemplary omnidirectional transceiver of thedevice of FIGS. 1-2;

FIG. 7 is an elevation view of the exemplary omnidirectional transceiverof FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is an exemplary optical schematic diagram in accordance with thedisplay device of FIG. 3.

FIGS. 9 a-9 g illustrate exemplary infrared signal waveformsfacilitating infrared shooting game communications between two or moregame devices.

FIG. 10 is an assembly view of a combination infrared/photosensitiveshooting device and samples of accessories.

FIG. 11A is a schematic for attaching accessories in an active railsystem.

FIG. 11B is a block diagram of the intelligent rail system used forcommunication between the shooting device and the accessories.

FIG. 12A is an assembly view of an intelligent rail system including thebasic gun and a number of accessories.

FIG. 12B is a detail assembly view of the video-game accessory for theintelligent rail system of FIG. 12A.

FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram of a video game processor used duringsingle player game play when attached to a raster scan display.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of an exemplary infrared shooting gamedevice with a removably coupled mobile electronic device.

FIGS. 15A and 15B are screen shots from the display on the firstapparatus during a solo augmented reality game.

FIG. 16A is a screen shot from the display on the first apparatus duringa multiplayer augmented reality game with no players in the field ofview.

FIG. 16B is a screen shot from the display on the first apparatus duringa multiplayer augmented reality game with a virtual shot animationsuperimposed over the real-time field of view.

FIG. 16C is a screen shot from the display on the first apparatus duringa multiplayer augmented reality game with an opposing player in thefield of view.

FIG. 16D is a screen shot from the display on the first apparatus duringa multiplayer augmented reality game with an animation superimposed overthe real-time field of view for when an opposing player is tagged.

FIG. 17A is a weapon selection screen shot from the display on the firstapparatus during a multiplayer augmented reality game with an airstrikechosen.

FIG. 17B is a screen shot from the display on the first apparatus duringa multiplayer augmented reality game during an airstrike with a virtualairplane in range.

FIG. 17C is a screen shot from the display on the first apparatus duringa multiplayer augmented reality game during an airstrike where theplayer was tagged.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

Referring now to the drawings and especially FIGS. 1 and 2, an exemplarycombination gun and target device for facilitating a game of tag usinginfrared light communications is shown. The device 10 includes a shapedhousing 20, which substantially encloses the device electronics shown inFIGS. 4A, 4B and 5. The housing 20 is generally pistol or gun-shapedincluding a barrel portion 24 with two gun barrels positioned along aparallel axis, as depicted in FIGS. 1 and 2. A first lens is disposed atthe end of a first barrel and a second lens is disposed at the end of asecond barrel. An infrared light source such as a light emitting diode(LED) or the like is disposed behind the first lens within one gunbarrel of the barrel portion 24 and an infrared detector such as aninfrared photodetector or the like is disposed behind the secondcollimating lens within the other gun barrel of the barrel portion 24.The lenses may be collimating lenses or the like to provide relativelynarrow or otherwise focused beams for the infrared diode and narrowfield of view for the photodetector. The first and second lenses aredisposed adjacently within their respective gun barrels such that thedirectional infrared source and the directional infrared detector areoriented parallel to each other along the barrel portion 24, providing adirectional infrared transmitter 23 aligned in a parallel manner with adirectional infrared receiver 22 which operate to transmit and receiveinfrared signals in a directional manner to and from a specific similardevice operated by a remote player. For example, directional transmitter23 may transmit infrared signals to a remote player's device that isaligned with the barrel portion 24 and directional receiver 22 mayreceive infrared signals sent from the remote player's device inresponse to the transmitted signals. The lenses enable the device 10 totransmit and receive infrared signals across considerable distances(e.g., three hundred feet). Various construction techniques may be usedto arrange the lenses, IR LEDs, and IR receivers or detectors. Forinstance the lenses and tubes can be arranged horizontally or verticallywith respect to one another or the two tubes can be combined into onetube. Similarly the columniation of the transmitted light beam and fieldof view of the receiver could be accomplished using a single lensconfiguration.

The IR transmitter/receiver dome 26 contains an omnidirectional infraredsource and an omnidirectional infrared detector. As shown in FIGS. 1 and2, the housing 20 includes a generally hemispherical-shaped dome 26positioned on the top surface of the housing 20. The dome 26 is made ofan infrared transparent material and encloses the omnidirectionalinfrared transmitter 28 and the omnidirectional infrared receiver 29. Asdescribed hereafter, the omnidirectional infrared transmitter 28includes an arrangement of infrared light emitting diodes for providinginfrared signal transmission approximately 360 degrees about the device10. Similarly, the omnidirectional infrared receiver 29 includes anarrangement of photodetectors within the dome 26 for providing infraredsignal reception approximately 360 degrees about the device 10.Additionally, dome 26 may include one or more lenses relative to theomnidirectional source and detector and one or more visible lightindicators such as LEDs for indication of a hit having been received bythe device.

The device 10 includes a first finger-operable trigger 30 positioned ona grip portion 124 of the housing and is optionally protected againstaccidental activation by trigger guard 31. When a player depresses firstfinger-operable trigger 30, an infrared signal is transmitted by thedirectional transmitter 23 in the direction which the gun barrel 24 wasaimed. If aligned properly with a remote player's device 10,particularly the omnidirectional infrared receiver 29, a “tag” will beapplied to that remote player, the basic object of the game ofelectronic infrared tag being to tag one's opponents while avoidingbeing tagged by one's opponents. Further, the grip portion 124 mayinclude a second finger-operable trigger 34 proximate the firstfinger-operable trigger 30. The second finger-operable trigger 34operates to actuate a “shield” function known in the art so that thedevice 10 may temporarily ignore tags received from other devices. Asshown in FIG. 1, the triggers 30, 34 may be positioned on grip portion124 in such a way as to be operated in an ergonomic manner by twoadjacent fingers of the player's hand gripping the grip portion 124.Alternatively, the second finger-operable trigger 34 (“shield trigger”)may be located on the inner surface of the trigger guard 31 such thatthe “firing” trigger 30 is activated by squeezing the trigger fingerversus the “shield” trigger 34, which is activated by pressing forwardwith the trigger finger. A second grip portion 36 is positioned forwardof grip portion 124 and includes a movable lever 38. Lever 38 may bespring loaded or otherwise biased to arcuately pivot a short distanceabout cylinder part 40 as shown by double-headed arrow “R”. A playeroperates lever 38 by grasping and squeezing grip portion 36 with theuser's second hand thereby actuating a reload function of the device 10such that the user's supply of infrared ammunition is replenished. Thisis somewhat analogous to inserting a new clip of ammunition into a gunor quickly reloading the clip. As shown in FIG. 2, function button 42 ispositioned on the cylinder part 40 on the left side of the housing 20.Operation of function button 42 is multi-purpose, enabling specialdevice features. For example, a user pressing the function button 42while pressing trigger 30 may add “mega-tag” points to the next tagtransmitted or launched by the device 10. Additionally, by holding bothgrip portions 124, 36 the user may enjoy better stabilization, aim andcontrol of the device 10.

Located at the rear portion of the housing 20 is a plurality of buttons48-53 providing a keypad 44. Adjacent the keypad 44 is a display 46,which is angled for facilitating viewing by the user. The keypad 44 anddisplay 46 together provide an interactive, programmable user interfacefor viewing or programming game parameters. The buttons 48-53 allow theuser to navigate through options and information among other thingsdisplayed on display 46 in the form of a menu-driven interface structureor the like before, during, and after gameplay. Located just below thekeypad 44 is a compartment that is closed with a removably-fastened lid54. The compartment houses the device's power supply, which in anexemplary embodiment includes a plurality of common-sized (e.g., AA)batteries. The compartment may be opened and closed for the purpose ofinstalling and replacing the batteries, which may be disposable orrechargeable. Located on the underside of grip portion 124 are twointerfaces or connectors 56. Each connector 56 may be employed to couplean accessory or supplemental device to the device 10. One such accessorythat may be removably coupled to the device 10 via connector 56 is adisplay interface described hereinafter as a head-mounted display (HMD)device.

As depicted in FIG. 3. the HMD device 80 resembles a pair of eyewearsuch as sunglasses and is designed to fit around a user's head. As isgenerally known in the art, the HMD 80 is used as a head-mounted opticalsystem allowing the user to enjoy gameplay information in his or herfield of view while playing the game. The HMD device 80 includes amirror 88 and a combiner 84 in order to “wrap” an optical display aroundthe side of the user's head. An adjustable fastening strap 82 fitsaround the back of a user's head, such that the user looks through thelenses of the glasses and the see-through combiner 84 that is orientedin front of the glasses for viewing. Optical projector 86 is orientedalong the side of the user's head and projects an iconic display or thelike to facilitate non-line-of-sight communications with other gameparticipants and the like. The HMD 80 may communicate with the device 10via a cable 90 that may be removably attached (not shown) to theconnector 56.

An Indoor/Outdoor switch 60 is located on right side of the housing 20near grip portion 36, as shown in FIG. 1. The Indoor/Outdoor switch 60decreases the intensity of the tag signature or alternately may functionto decrease the sensitivity of the omnidirectional infrared receiver 29for use of the device 10 indoors, where ambient infrared energy is not asignificant factor to affect transmission and receipt of infraredsignals but sensitivity to low-power signals reflecting from nearbywalls would diminish game play. A HMD brightness switch 58, located justbehind switch 60, controls the brightness of the HMD display. Thespeaker switch 62 is located on the left side of the housing 20 (FIG. 2)near grip portion 36. This switch enables and disables the audio speaker64 of the device 10 to produce and silence respectively audible cues,sound effects and the like produced by the speaker 64.

Referring now to FIGS. 4A, 4B and 5 an exemplary electrical system 400is shown in accordance with the foregoing described exemplary playsetincluding the device 10 and HMD 80. As shown in FIG. 4A-B, theelectrical system 400 includes a controller 410. The controller 410 maybe any type of logic device known in the art such as a micro-controller,microprocessor, digital signal processor (DSP), programmable logiccontroller (PLC) or the like, that is operable to receive one or moreinputs and affect one or more outputs relative to the received inputs.As shown, the controller 410 may be a single chip microprocessorcontaining RAM, ROM, input/outputs (I/Os), and the like known in theart. One exemplary controller 410 is the GPL61A available from theGeneralPlus Technology Company, Inc. The GPL61A is an 8-bit CMOS singlechip microprocessor including: SRAM; ROM; I/Os; 2-channel PWM audiooutput for direct driving of a speaker; and a display driver forcontrolling a liquid crystal display (LCD). The controller 410 ispowered by a power supply, which may include one or more power sources(e.g., batteries).

As shown in the illustrated embodiment of FIGS. 4A, 4B and 5, the powersupply includes two power sources 412 and 414 for energizing the variouscircuits and subsystems. In one exemplary embodiment each power source412, 414 includes three AA-sized batteries to provide 4.5V and 9.0Vtotal to the system 400. The system 400 may include fuses to protect thecontroller 410 and other system electronic components from power surgesfrom sources 412, 414, due to faults or the like. As is known, thesources 412, 414 are disposed within the housing of a portion of theplayset (e.g., within the body or grip portion of the gun), but thesources 412, 414 may be located externally, for example in an externalbattery pack that may be worn on the body or carried by the user. Asshown, the sources 412, 414 cooperate with controller 410 and a switchedpower supply 416 to provide a switched voltage Vsw for energizing one ormore of the foregoing subsystems, particularly receivers 430, 450 asshown in FIG. 4B. Further, as shown, the system 400 includes crystaloscillator 418 and resistor oscillator 419, crystal oscillator 418having a frequency of 32768 Hz for clock-type timing and resistoroscillator 419 generating 8 MHz master oscillation frequency within theprocessor 410. Although the oscillator 418 is external to and coupledwith the controller 410 the oscillator may alternatively be integralwith the controller 410.

As known in the art, the controller 410 operates under control of thesoftware code, which may reside in the controller memory (e.g., ROM,RAM), to provide programmable and interactive device functionality anddefined gameplay for two or more playsets that is described hereafter infurther detail. To this end, the controller 410 receives user signalsrelative to user inputs from keypad 470 and buttons/switches 471-476 and481-484 as well as remote signals received from other players/playsetsvia receivers 430 and 450. In response to receiving the user and remotesignals the controller 410 outputs information to the user via display460, speaker 490, HMD 520-530 and to other players/playsets viatransmitters 420, 440. As shown, the system 400 includes a firsttransmitter 420 linked with the controller 410 and a first receiver 430linked with the controller 410. The first transmitter 420 may be aninfrared (IR) emitting diode or the like known in the art for outputtingan IR or near-IR signal, and the first receiver 430 may be an infrared(IR) receiver or the like known in the art for sensing/detecting an IRor near-IR signal. Referring back to FIGS. 1-2, the first transmitterand receiver 420, 430 are disposed within respective tubes of thedouble-barrel portion of the gun-shaped housing to provide long-range,duplex (i.e., two-way) directional communications with another player,particularly a remote player up to several hundred feet away from thefirst transceiver, having a substantially similar playset.

Similarly, the system 400 includes a second transmitter 440 linked tothe controller 410 and a second receiver 450 linked with the controller410. As shown, the second transmitter 440 includes four infraredemitting diodes (IRLEDs) 442 or the like known in the art for outputtingan IR or near-IR signal, but fewer or additional IRLEDs may be provided.Referring now to FIGS. 6-7, the IRLEDs 442, of the second transmitter440 are shown disposed within the hemispherical dome illustrated inFIGS. 1-2. As shown in FIG. 6, the four IRLEDs 442 are arcuatelyoriented and spaced apart equally by approximately ninety degrees withrespect to the center of the dome's base. Additionally as shown in FIG.7, the IRLEDs 442 are inclined by about fifteen degrees above the baseof the dome to provide an omnidirectional IR short range signal. Anexemplary IRLED for this arrangement would be a diode with a +/−fortyfive degree beam emission, but other IRLEDs and corresponding physicalorientations thereof may be substituted as appropriate. As will bedescribed hereafter in further detail, a primary function of the secondtransmitter 440 is to provide for constant transmission of a useridentification signature or “beacon” so that players may identify eachother as friend or foe (IFF) and target each other without the use ofvisual or audible cues such as recognizing a player's clothing, face orvoice. The second transmitter 440 provides other functionality as wellincluding facilitating communications with other proximate user'splaysets.

The second receiver 450 includes three infrared (IR) photodiodes 452 orthe like known in the art for detecting/sensing an IR or near-IR signal,but fewer or additional IR photodiodes may be provided. As shown inFIGS. 6-7, the IR photodiodes 452 of the second receiver 450 areillustrated as disposed within the hemispherical dome of FIGS. 1-2 alongwith the foregoing IRLEDs 442. The photodiodes 452 are shown to be insetand elevated with respect to the IRLEDs 442, but other suitableorientations of the IRLEDs 442 and photodiodes 452 are suitable so longas the IRLEDs 442 and photodiodes 452 do not interfere with each otherand provide for omnidirectional transmission and reception of signals Asshown, the three photodiodes 452 are arcuately oriented and spaced apartequally by approximately one hundred twenty degrees with respect to thecenter of the dome's base, and are inclined by about fifteen degrees(FIG. 7) with respect to the central axis of the dome's base. Asmentioned, the second receiver 450 provides an omnidirectional IRsensor. An exemplary IR photodiode for this arrangement would be aphotodiode with a +/−sixty degree beam detection width. As will bedescribed hereafter in further detail, the second receiver 450 providesa constant receiver to primarily identify other proximate users havingplaysets and to receive long-range signals transmitted from thedirectional transmitter 420 of a remote user's playset.

The IRLEDs 442 and photodiodes 452 may be coupled to a circuit board 700disposed within the base of the dome In one exemplary embodiment, thecircuit board 700 is a printed circuit board (PCB) including the secondreceiver module 458 (FIG. 4A-B).

As previously mentioned, the playset provides a programmable andinteractive user interface. To this end, the system 400 includes a userinterface having a display 460 linked to the controller 410 and a keypad470 linked to the controller 410 for providing human input thereto. Asshown in FIG. 4A-B, the display 460 is a liquid crystal display (LCD)panel that is known in the art, though other types of displays couldeasily be used. The display 460 may provide one or more of analphanumeric display and one or more indicia or icons which may relateto the communication between users' playsets and the gameplay. Thekeypad 470 includes a plurality of buttons 471-476. The keypad 470 anddisplay 460 are located proximate each other on the housing and facingthe user when pointing the barrel portion outward. Each of the buttons471-476 are user-operable contact switches linked to the controller 410for entering information into the playset by scrolling through andselecting options via a pre-programmed menu structure, which resides inthe controller memory and is displayable on the display 460.

Each of buttons 471-476 may have one or more functions including a mainfunction and a second function. Second function button 471 enables thesecond function of buttons 472-476 by holding the second function button471 while pressing one of the buttons 472-476. By pressing the displaybutton 472 for example, the user may select the type of informationdisplayed on display 460 before, during or after a game. By pressingsecond function button 471 and display button 472 for example, the usermay adjust the contrast of the display 460. The user interface includingdisplay 460 and keypad 470 permits a user to configure or otherwiseprogram the functionality of the playset and the gameplay relative totwo or more playsets (including rules, teams and other gamecharacteristics discussed hereafter).

As shown in FIGS. 4A, 4B and 5 the system 400 includes a plurality ofbuttons and switches linked to the controller 410 for operating theplayset and for customizing the operation of the playset relative to theuser. Herein the user interface includes selection screens to adjust oneor more gameplay parameters selected from the group consisting of gametype, game time, number of tags to transmit, number of tags receiveduntil out tagged out, number of shields or shielded time and number ofteams. To this end, the system includes buttons 481-484 for operatingthe playset and switches 485-487 for adapting the playset to thepreferences of the user. Trigger button 481 is associated with a firstfinger-actuated, movable trigger on the gun housing for transmitting along-range communication (or “tag” as known in the art) to anotherplayer via directional transmitter 420. Shield button 482 is associatedwith a second finger-actuated, movable trigger on the gun housing fortemporarily disabling the transmitters 420, 440 and receivers 430, 450such that the playset is rendered temporarily out of communications withthe other units in the game. When the shield button 482 is pressed theplayset will not transmit its identifying (i.e., beacon) signal or anytags and also will not receive identifying beacons or tags from otherparticipants' playsets for a predetermined amount of time. Thepump/reload button 483 is associated with the reload lever forward ofthe first and second triggers and is actuatable by the user to reloadthe playset with a predetermined quantity of transmittable tags. Thefunction button 484 enables additional functionality for the foregoingtrigger buttons 481, 482. For example, the user may enable a “mega tag”feature, which is a multiple tag transmit signal that may be used toquickly tag out another game participant from the game, by pressing andholding the function button 484 while repeatedly pressing the triggerbutton 481. In a team game the user may enable a “medic mode”, which isused to give assistance to or receive assistance from other players onthe same team, by pressing and holding the function button 484 whilepressing the shield button 482. Medic mode can be used to assist aplayer who is in danger of being tagged out, or to build-up one of theteam's players.

The playset may be used indoors or outdoors, and to this end the system400 provides a user-selectable switch 485 to increase or decrease thetransmit signal (i.e., tag) strength of the directional transmitter 420and omni directional transmitter 440. When using the playset indoors,the switch 485 should be in the open state so that directional transmitsignals do not reflect and/or scatter thereby accidentally tagging othergame participants such as team members. When using the playset outdoors,the switch 485 should be in the closed state so that the directionaltransmit signals may overcome any ambient IR sources. As shown in FIG.5, the system may include a speaker 490, which may be internal to thehousing for providing sound effects and/or simulated speech. Thecontroller 410 may include a memory of one or more pre-recorded soundsand/or synthesized voice, and the controller 410 may be operative todrive a speaker directly or via an audio amplifier for speech or melodysynthesis. The controller 410 includes eight-bit resolution, two-channelpulse width modulation (PWM) outputs to drive the speaker 490. A speakerswitch 486 may be opened or closed as desired by the user torespectively disable or enable the speaker 490.

As mentioned previously, the playset may include a user-worn interfacesuch as a head-mounted display (HMD) or heads-up display (HUD) adaptedto be worn on the user's head for providing the user with a graphical oriconic interface proximate the user's eye, and facilitating gameplay. Asknown in the art, the HMD may be removably coupled to the gun by way ofa cabled connector. Moreover, the gun may include other connectors orports for coupling other removable or interchangeabledevices/accessories to the gun, such as connector 495 shown in FIG. 5.In the illustrated embodiment, the user-worn interface system 520 iscoupled to the gun electrical system 400 and includes an iconicinterface having three light emitting diodes (LEDs) 522, 524, 526. Aswill be described hereafter in further detail, the interface 520 is madeof a generally transparent or translucent see-through material anddisposed proximate the user's eye so that the user's field of vision isnot affected. As such, the user is able to see the real world whilesimultaneously viewing by reflection the LEDs 522, 524, 526 whichprovide status information to the player. The LEDs 522-526 mayilluminate indicia or icons that correspond to one or more iconsdisplayed on the display 460 so that the user need not maintainintermittent or constant visual contact with the gun. Thus, in oneexemplary use, the user may move the gun to direct the directionalreceiver 430 in a side-to-side sweeping motion to quickly identifyopponents and teammates with the user-worn iconic display 520. Further,the iconic display 520 enables the user to target and tag otherparticipants that may be outside of the user's line of sight, such asaround a corner or other obstruction. As such, the player can get visualfeedback that his gun is properly aimed without having to look through atypical mechanical aiming sight mounted on the gun. As shown, the system400 provides a user-selectable multi-position switch 487 for increasingand decreasing the light output of the LEDs 522-526 that is, ultimately,visible to the user's eye. In addition, the user-worn interface mayinclude a speaker 530 that furthers the iconic interface by providingthe user with auditory indicia or signals corresponding to the one ormore visible indicia or icons. In this manner, the HMD operates tooutput visual and audible cues to the user relative to the user'ssurroundings and game play. In an exemplary embodiment, the red, greenand yellow LEDs 522, 524, 526 are associated with icons indicatingrespectively that the user has been tagged by another player, that theuser is targeting another player and that the user has tagged anotherplayer. Further, the speaker 530 may output audible cues facilitatingIFF (e.g., a friend sound and a foe sound) when the green LED 524 isilluminated.

Referring now to FIG. 8, an optical schematic diagram illustratesoperation of the HMD. As shown, the HMD is a folded-path optical systememploying a first surface mirror and a partial mirror combiner. Abacklit film is viewed through a head-mounted optical system including afold mirror and a combiner (i.e., a partial mirror) in order to wrap theoptical system around the side of the user's head. The HMD includes anoptical projector 800 oriented along the side of the user's head and asee-through frame 820 coupled to the projector 800 and disposed in frontof at least one of the user's eyes. The optical projector 800 includes afirst end with the LEDs 522-526 and icon film 805, and a second end witha lens 810. The lens 810 is spaced apart from the film 805 by a distanceL, which in an exemplary embodiment is approximately 73 mm, to magnifythe illuminated icons on film 805 and transmit the icons to the frame820. The first end of the frame 820 (proximate the lens 810) includes afirst surface mirror 830 that is separated from the lens 810 by adistance D, which in an exemplary embodiment is approximately 13 mm. Thefirst surface mirror 830 is oriented at an approximate forty five degreeangle with respect the lens axis to reflect the illuminated icons alongthe width W of the frame 820 to the second end including combiner 840that is spaced from the user's eye by a distance U. In an exemplaryembodiment, the width W is approximately 60 mm and the combiner 840 isdistanced from the user's eye by approximately 40 mm. The combiner 840may be a partial mirror surface known in the art to allow the user agenerally unobstructed view through the illustrated icons. In oneexemplary embodiment, the displayed information comprising targeting ofothers, tags on the user by others and tags given to others, moves withthe player's head as the HMD combiner 840 is mounted to stylizedglasses. As such, the HMD and gun combination allows the user to enjoygame play information in his or her field of view while playing thegame.

As is generally well known in the art, toy infrared gun and targetsystems work by transmitting a coded signal from the transmitter (gun)to the infrared receiver (target). This transmitted information istypically used to send a tag or hit signal to the receiver. If thetarget receives the appropriate coded infrared signal, a tag isregistered. Transmitters will normally focus infrared light into anarrow collimated beam using a lens in front of an infrared lightemitting diode (IRLED). Receivers typically use a photodiode or photodetector to receive the coded infrared signal, however, receiverstypically do not use any lens in front of the receiving device in orderto have a very wide viewing angle. In such well-known infrared gun andtarget systems, only a one way path exists with the transmitter (gun)sending information to the target (receiver) in what is commonly called“forward IR” communication. It is difficult for the user of thetransmitting unit to know that he has accurately landed a tag on thetargeted unit if the two are separated by any appreciable distance sinceneither sound nor light carry well in typical outdoor play environments.

Alternatively known in the art are systems intended for use indoorswhich make use of a “reverse IR” approach in which each unitcontinuously transmits a unique omnidirectional identifying signal. Theidentifying signals from a first unit are then detected by thenarrow-angle directional receivers of any second unit which is properlyaimed at the first unit. If the user of such a second unit activatestheir trigger input while said second unit is receiving said identifyingsignal, the second unit judges itself to have scored a tag on the firstunit. However, the first unit cannot know that it has been tagged unlessthere exists also a game controlling computer which is alerted to thesuccessful tag by the second unit and which then advises the first unitthat it has been tagged. Such communication normally is performed usingradio-frequency (RF) transceivers.

As just described, indoor systems for infrared shooting games typicallyknown in the prior art employ a separate game control computer linked toall playing devices via wireless RF link. This computer and RF linkprovide game configuration, real-time scoring, and essentially immediatefeedback to each player related to game events such as tagging anotherplayer or being tagged by another player. While well suited to indoorarenas, this approach is not well suited to outdoor play in a consumerenvironment. The added cost of the computer and wireless RF link, thedifficulty of setting up the system, the extended ranges (often hundredsto thousands of feet) over which the RF link must function, and thedifficulty of meeting these requirements while simultaneously meetinggovernment regulations for RF broadcast systems, makes such an approachtoo complex and expensive for the home system.

Past home systems have provided the flexibility of variable gameconfigurations by having a first player input a specialized code via asequence of button presses so as to configure their device for thedesired game. These systems have further provided for a method wherebysuch configuration may then be transmitted over the directional infraredbeam of the first player's device to the receivers of the devices ofother players in the game. This system however has drawbacks as there isno reliable manner for the transmitting device to know that thereceiving device has correctly received the information, and there istherefore also no reliable way to assign unique player ID numbers toeach player's device so that the performance of players and teams may bescored. In addition, the ability to define the game is dependant on theability of the user to memorize a large number of specialized codesequences which must be properly entered into the first player's devicewithout error.

Other home systems allow for configuration of the game on a separate“base unit” with a more user-friendly input and display system. Thisbase unit device then communicates the game definition data to removable“program modules” which are then connected to player units where they inturn control the game definition for each player unit, collect gameperformance data during the game, and report said game performance datato the base unit at the end of the game for analysis. However, thissystem relies on the use of both a separate base unit and a plurality ofsaid removable program modules for the transport of the game definitionand the game performance data. This is undesirable from the consumer'spoint of view as it requires the use of a base unit which serves noactual function during the game proper, and it also relies on thesecondary purchase of a multiplicity of program modules for each playerin the game, and these program modules due to their removable nature areeasily lost.

Therefore, it is a desirable goal to provide for a system in which nonon-playing devices of any kind are needed to perform game definition orto store, report, or analyze the game performance data. It is furtherdesirable to provide a method by which such game definition andperformance analysis may be carried out in a simple and intuitive mannerwhich players of all levels of familiarity with the equipment may beable to enjoy. Further, it is desirable that such additional hardware aswould be needed for each player's device to support these featuresshould be minor so as to minimize cost, and that this additionalhardware should also provide functions which inherently add variety andinterest to the game even if the more advanced functions of gamedefinition and performance analysis are not being utilized by theplayers. To this end, the present embodiment discloses an apparatus anda method by which all of these goals may be met.

In view of the foregoing description of the gun electronics, the subjecttoy gun system has multiple communication paths wherein the gun and thetarget both operate to transmit and receive coded information before(e.g., game setup/joining), during, and after (e.g., gameplay analysis,player/team ranking) the game. By doing so the ideal system is realizedin which fully controlled and scored games may be played overconsiderable outdoor distances while providing immediate feedback fortags successfully landed on opponents and providing the ability torecord and rank player and team performances without the requirement foradditional potentially expensive computer systems which are not part ofthe guns or targets themselves.

Assuming that there are two guns, (e.g., gun A and B) the communicationpaths for tags are as follows: the directional transmitter 420 of gun Atransmits coded information that is received by omnidirectional receiver450 of gun B. In order for gun B to receive the coded information fromgun A, the barrel portion of gun A must be optically aligned with theomnidirectional receiver 450 of gun B. In a near-instant acknowledgmentof receiving the coded information from gun A, the omnidirectionaltransmitter 440 of gun B outputs coded information acknowledging a hit,and this information is received by the directional receiver 430 of gunA since the barrel portion of gun A has not moved substantially in theinstant between gun B receiving the coded information from gun A andoutputting the acknowledgement. As such, two way communication may beachieved between two or more guns. Since the transmit and receivefunctions of the omnidirectional transmitters are substantially 360degrees about the users, the orientation or attitude of gun B isinconsequential to achieve communications. This two way optical path canbe used for any closed loop communications.

Two or more guns may also communicate directly through theomnidirectional transmitters and omnidirectional receivers, but thecommunication range is on the order of approximately 25 feet. Theadvantage of communication through the omnidirectional transmitters andreceivers is that there is no need to optically align the guns. Thus,proximity warnings and gameplay features may be enabled as describedhereafter.

The gun software uses four infra-red communications channels (twodirectional and two omnidirectional) to create a multinode network, suchthat each gun unit (and user) may be identified uniquely, assigned to ateam as appropriate, and communicate with other users/game participantsin the network as needed. The network of intermittently communicatinggun units forms a game. Unit-to-unit communications may be performedeither specifically or generically. In a specific communication, thetransmitting unit addresses a specific other unit in the game so thatany units receiving the transmission other than the intended receiverwill know that they should ignore the communication. In a genericcommunication, the transmitting unit broadcasts information, and suchinformation is accepted and processed by all other units that receivethe broadcast data. Such communication options enable two or more gununit users to enjoy gameplay and device features significantly advancedbeyond the traditional game of laser tag. For example, the subjectsystem allows a host gun unit to wirelessly program, through IRtransmission, one or more other gun units with the same game definitionentered into the first (or “host”) unit by one player. Thus, the hostoperates to facilitate team games and other advanced and customizablegameplays.

To this end, the host user selects the type of game to play and adjuststhe game characteristics using an interactive menu-driven interface.This provides a much more intuitive method to select a game and adjustthe game particulars than the cumbersome and complex method ofcombinations of key press codes or the expensive use of additionalgame-programming computers as generally known in the art. The host unitis programmed with the game definition by one user, and then the hostunit automatically broadcasts/transmits the game definition to all otherunits wishing to join the game. This joining process eliminates orsubstantially reduces errors and misunderstandings that might otherwiselead to different players not playing the same type of game. It alsosimplifies the method of joining a game, so that less experiencedplayers can still participate in complex games without having to gothrough a complex process of learning how to play/participate.

A multi-player game may begin with an optional “host/join” process,wherein one unit that is designated as the host is programmed with thegame definition by one user. Subsequently, the host identifies itselfand broadcasts the parameters of the game (e.g., gameplay, rules, etc.)that is about to be played to all other units in an area proximate thehost. These other units, known hereafter as the joiners, receive thegame definition and may elect to participate by communicating with thehost. Each joiner receives the game definition and a uniqueidentification (ID) code. Further, if the game is played in groups oftwo or more teams the host associates each of the joiner's ID codes witha team ID code, which will later facilitate team ranking and othergameplay analysis. The foregoing pre-game host/joiner communication areperformed via the omnidirectional transceivers of the gun units.

After all units that will participate in the game have been joined bythe host, the game may start after a delay during which the users takeup their initial positions for the game. This initial game delay isidentified by a count-down to zero (called the “t-minus countdown”). Ifthe host/join process was used, this countdown is broadcast by the hostto all of the joiners so as to synchronize the starting time of the gamefor all participants. In this manner, all participants in the game willstart and end their games together. Further, the host may broadcastinformation identifying the IDs for all valid units in the game to allowall units to more easily reject spurious communications (e.g., tagsreceived from non joining units or units joined to another adjacentgame). Once the t-minus countdown is completed the active phase of thegame begins.

During the active phase of the game, the omnidirectional transmitter isused primarily to send “Beacon Signatures” identifying team affiliationof the transmitting unit. As previously mentioned, such a broadcastbeacon signature signal allows the other units in the game to “lock-on”to or otherwise target and identify the transmitting unit as friend, foeor neutral (IFF) and to be alerted if an opposing unit is in closeproximity but has not been targeted. Further, the omnidirectionaltransmitter operates to transmit an acknowledgment signal confirming thereceipt of any tags by the unit's omnidirectional receiver. As asecondary function, this omnidirectional infrared channel may be used totransfer data between players in a game (e.g., medic-mode transfers) orto identify active-area units (e.g., bases, zones, etc. which performspecial functions when in close proximity to players) to the other unitsin the game.

During the active phase of the game, the directional transmitter is usedprimarily to send “tag signatures” or tags in response to the user'strigger actuation. As is known, players attempt to “land” these tags onthe other players in order to score points, tag-out opponents and winthe game. However, this channel may also be used to send directed orspecific communications for the purposes of text messaging, programmingaccessories, etc.

Throughout the game each unit records all meaningful occurrences of thevarious signatures being transmitted, received, time elapsed before theplayer is tagged-out, and such other interactions as may be relevant tothe final analysis of each unit's gameplay for the purposes of scoringof the game and generating player/team ranking among other things. Oncethe game has ended either by timing out of the game duration oralternatively if the host manually ends the game, if the host/joinprocess was used to start the game then the host will begin a“debriefing” process whereby it interrogates each individual unit thatwas joined into the game. Each such joined unit, upon interrogation bythe host, reports its collected game data back to the host. Once thehost has aggregated all of the available game data, it combines andanalyzes the data in order to rank each of the individual players andteams within the game. The host then transmits the rankings back to thejoiners for their review. In addition, players can individually call uphead-to-head scoring information to determine how they did specificallyagainst each of the other players in the game. If one or more of thejoiners does not respond to the host's interrogation, such as, forexample, if a joiner had to leave the game before the end for somereason or if the joiner malfunctioned, the host operates to discard orotherwise reconcile any data received from the responsive joinersrelative to the non-responsive joiners.

Data exchanged over the various communications channels can becategorized as four basic types: (1) beacon signatures, (2) areasignatures, (3) tag signatures and (4) packet data. The device willtransmit and receive a series of encoded infrared light signals whichform a predetermined signature including an active synchronization pulseof duration X or 2× and a plurality of active data bit pulses, eachseparated from one another by an inactive pause of duration Y. The databit pulses represent values of “0” or “1” by having an active periodrespectively of less than or more than one-half X as determined by theduration of the synchronization pulse. The last inactive pause whichfollows a series of the active data pulses and identifies the end of thesignature will have a duration of greater than 2Y. The activesynchronization pulse of duration X or 2X is either 3 ms+/−10% or 6ms+/−10% respectively and the inactive pause of duration Y is 2ms+/−10%. The series of active data pulses numbers no less than 5 and nogreater than 9 active data pulses. The signature is preceded by apre-synchronization pulse with an active period of 3 ms+/−10% followedby pause of 6 ms+/10%. The function of this pulse is to allow thereceiver to automatically adjust its gain levels to best receive theincoming signal with minimum distortion. The beacon signatures include a6 ms+/−10% synchronization pulse (2X), and the tag signatures and packetdata signatures include a 3 ms+/−10% synchronization pulse (X). Toaccommodate those receivers which must have a certain period of nodetectable signal in order to maintain proper gain levels, the softwarecontrolling the transmitters typically enforces on itself a “SpecialFormat Pause” of at least 18 ms+/−10% after the end of each signaturebefore it will begin the next signature.

Beacon signatures are broadcast regularly and automatically during thegame by each unit for identifying information about the status of thesending unit (i.e. team affiliation, whether or not the sender has justbeen tagged, and if tagged with how many hit points). When the beaconsignature is received by the directional receiver of another unit, thebeacon signature may facilitate a targeting or “locked-on” condition or“hit confirmed” condition in the receiving unit. When received by theomnidirectional receiver of another unit, the beacon signature mayfacilitate a “proximity warning” condition in the receiving unit.

Area signatures are a modified form of the beacon signatures. Areasignatures are always broadcast on the omnidirectional transmit channel,and are used to identify a physical area of special significance withina game, for example, a base, an area being contested, a neutral “safety”area, or such other area as may be defined in the game. When an areasignature is received by the directional receiver of another unit, thearea signature may facilitate a targeting or “locked-on” condition inthe receiving unit (if the area signature signifies a base associatedwith a team in a game), or may simply be ignored. When received by theomnidirectional receiver of another unit, the area signature facilitatesa “special zone” condition in the receiving unit. The software of thereceiving unit then uses this special zone condition to enable specialprocessing functions associated with the specific area, such as, forexample, recording the cumulative time spent in the area, re-enabling adisabled unit, etc.

Tag signatures are typically transmitted on the directional transmitchannel and identify the ID of the sending unit and may also includeadditional information. For example, a unit may transmit a “mega tag”such that the tag signature includes information that identifies “extratag points” the user has added to this signature to cause any receivingunit to act as if multiple copies of the single tag signature had beenreceived in rapid succession. When the tag signature is received on thedirectional receive channel of another unit, these signatures aregenerally ignored. When the tag signature is received on theomnidirectional channel of another unit, the tag signatures result inthe receiving unit processing the signature as one or more “tags” orhits being received from the sending unit, which is recorded foranalysis by the host.

Packet data signatures are typically transmitted and received on theomnidirectional infrared channels, and are used to transfer moreextensive information than can be represented using the foregoingsignatures. Such packet data can be game definitions, player-to-playercommunications such as medic assistance, text messages, game performancestatistics, or other communications. Packet data signatures may betransmitted and received using any combination of the directional andomni directional transceivers. For instance Text Messaging istransmitted from the directional transmitter of the initiating unit andreceived on the omni directional receiver of the receiving unit whilemedic assistance communications are transmitted by the omni-directionaltransmitters and received by the omni-directional receivers.

Exemplary Communications Details

All infrared communications consist of an approximately 38 KHz-40 KHzcarrier frequency (hereafter called “38 KHz”) modulated on or off by thedata to be transmitted, the resulting signal driving an infrared lightemitting diode (IRLED) creating a signal of modulated 38 KHz IR, whichwhen detected by the receivers results in an active-low signal as shownin FIG. 9 a. Periods of active 38 KHz modulated IR generation are called“bursts” while the resulting active-low outputs of the receivers arereferred to as “pulses.” The periods when no 38 KHz modulated IR ispresent and the resulting output of the receiver is high are both called“pauses”.

Because the integrated circuit receivers used to detect the IR signalsmay have a problem initially identifying a signal and isolating it fromany background or ambient level of IR energy, each signature is precededby a “Pre-Sync” burst of modulated energy followed by a “Pre-Sync Pause”to allow the receiver to set its gain levels to match the signal thatfollows. This forms a “throw-away” pulse at the start of each signaturewhich will not affect anything if its duration is distorted as thereceiver circuitry tries to properly acquire the incoming signal.

Because the controllers of different units can typically be expected tobe running at different speeds from one another, particularly if alow-cost resistor oscillator or R/C oscillator is used for timing, thePre-Sync Pause is then followed by a Sync pulse of a known duration asperceived by the transmitting unit. This allows the receiving unit toidentify what speed the transmitting unit's controller is running atrelative to the receiver's controller speed so that variations in timingcan be properly accounted for. The Pre-Sync and Pre-Sync Pause help toensure that the duration of this pulse is exactly as intended by thetransmitting unit.

As a result of the foregoing, all signatures consist of a Pre-Sync (PS),a Pre-Sync Pause (PSP), Sync, and a plurality of data bits, as shown inFIG. 9 b. As shown, a “Special Format Pause” (SFP) is added at the endof each signature, to accommodate those receivers which require that themodulated IR signal be entirely gone for a period of time (typically 20msec out of every 100 msec) in order to allow the receiver to identifybackground levels of 38-khz noise and reject it.

During a game, all units attempt to cooperate such that data“collisions” will be kept to a minimum. However, it is a fairly commonoccurrence for the signatures from two or more different units to arrivesimultaneously at the omnidirectional receiver of a third unit, causinga corrupted signature to be received by that third unit. During normalgame play, such corruption is most frequently seen as the beaconsignatures from the other units colliding at the receiver of the thirdunit, resulting in a signature which looks very much like a valid tagsignature. To prevent the receiving unit from interpreting such acorrupted signature as a spurious tag signature, all beacon signatures(including area signatures) use a longer Sync Burst than do the tag orpacket data signatures as shown in FIG. 9 c. In this way, the receivingunit can know that the signature it began receiving was a beacon or areasignature. Thus, if the received signal appears to be a tag signature(FIG. 9 c) but has a 6 msec Sync Pulse, the receiving unit maydiscriminate the received signal as corrupted data. As shown in FIG. 9d, aside from the PS and Sync bursts, all data bits are either a “0”(e.g., a short burst with a duration of 1 msec) or a “1” (e.g., a longburst with a duration of 2 msec). All data bits are followed by a 2-msecpause to separate bits from one another.

As shown in FIG. 9 e, beacon signatures include the PS and Sync pulsesfollowed by five bits of information about the sending unit. The fivebits are as follows:

-   -   TH and TL bits identify the team affiliation (if any) of the        transmitting unit. These bits do not necessarily represent a        “team” in the normal sense of the word (although they can) and        may facilitate a means for the system to keep track of more than        a predetermined number (e.g., 8) players in a game.    -   HF is a Hit Flag which, when set, indicates that this signature        was generated in response to the transmitting unit taking one or        more tags—if not set, it was sent automatically based on the        internal timer of the transmitting unit ordering regularly-timed        beacons.    -   X2 and X1 bits are Extended information, and are used to        represent how many extra tag points were in the tag just        received (if HF is 0, these will both be 0 as well).

Area signatures are special cases of the beacon signature in which HF is0 but X2 and X1 contain at least one “1” bit. These combinations wouldmake no sense as a beacon signature from a player unit, and are thusreserved for the various different area signatures. The area signaturesare defined in Table 1.

TABLE 1 X2 X1 Area signature definition 0 1 (reserved for future use) 10 area being contested in game 1 1 team base (base may be designated asa neutral territory)

As shown in FIG. 9 f, tag signatures include the Pre-Sync, Pre-SyncPause, Sync, and 7 data bits. Tag signatures contain the unique ID ofthe transmitting unit, and extended data indicating the number of extratag points (if any) added by the user to this tag (e.g., mega tag). Forextended data definitions, see Table 2. Bits TH, TL, PH, PM, and PL formthe unique ID assigned to each playing unit in a game. Alternatively,for games that were not hosted/joined, such as traditional laser tag,all players may share a single ID which is for example all Os in thesebits. As shown, this data essentially represents a two-bit teamidentifier and a 3-bit Player identifier, but as mentioned previouslythe “team” should not be construed to be necessarily a team in thenormal sense of the word and it may facilitate a means for the softwareto keep track of more than a predetermined number of players in onegame.

TABLE 2 X2 X1 extended data definition 0 0 no mega, counts as 1 tag 0 11 mega, counts as 2 tags 1 0 2 megas, counts as 3 tags 1 1 3 megas,counts as 4 tags

Because each player in a hosted/joined game has a unique ID, all tagstaken by every player in a game can be recorded by the unit receivingthe tags for analysis, reporting and comparison after the game hasended. This allows each player to know not only how many times he or shewas tagged by other players or tagged other players, but the player canalso determine exactly who those other players were and how many timeshe or she tagged or was tagged by each of them.

The following packet data communications may be used for communicatingmore complex information than the specific information involved in thebeacon, area, and tag signatures. Such complex data may be exchangedbetween two or more units at the beginning of a game to allow a host toautomatically program joiners with the details of the game about to beplayed, to synchronize all players in a game and ensure that they allrecognize or know the IDs that will and will not be valid during thegame. During a game, such complex data may be exchanged between two ormore units to allow players within the game to communicate and eventransfer resources or liabilities to one another. After a game, suchcomplex data may be exchanged between two or more units to allowperformance data collection, ranking, and comparison of all units, amongother things.

Packet data signatures can be any one of three basic types, depending onwhere they occur in the data stream. The first signature in the datastream (containing the first byte of information) is always a packettype byte, or “Ptype” as shown in FIG. 9 g. There may or may not be oneor more data bytes following the Ptype. All data streams are thenterminated with a Checksum Byte, or “Csum.” In addition to the expectedPre-Sync, Pre-Sync Pause, and Sync bytes, the packet data signatureswill have either 8 (for data bytes) or 9 (for Ptypes and Csums) databits. The first data bit in the Ptype and Csum signatures identifieswhich type of communication it is—0 for Ptype, or 1 for Csum. As shown,b7 . . . b0 are the data bits (b7=MSb, B0=LSb). The numeric values (b7 .. . b0) of the Ptype byte plus all subsequent data bytes are added in an8-bit register as each byte is received, and this 8-bit value iscompared against the value (b7 . . . b0) of the Csum byte when it isreceived. Any data stream which did not begin with a Ptype or did notend with the correct Csum will be rejected and thus ignored.

There is normally no specific data-length byte in the packets, as eachPtype tells the receiving unit what the meanings of the data bytes tofollow are. Some packets are variable-length and thus do contain adata-length byte of one format or another, but this is not required inpackets which are not variable-length. The maximum length of any packetis 22 bytes, including the Ptype and Csum.

Devices for infrared shooting games as are known in the prior arttypically use a fixed number of data bits per signature, e.g. 8 bits.The limited number of possible combinations of “0” and “1” bitsnecessitates the sending of additional data in each signature toidentify the type of data represented, for example a basic signature mayconsist of 8 data bits, but require a preamble of another 8 bits toindicate how this signature is to be interpreted, for example as a tag,as configuration information, as control information such as to disablea player, and so on. With the present described embodiment herein theuser may configure various elements of the game by use of the keypad andan interactive text-based menu displayed on the LCD upon completion ofgame definition the electronic controller will operate via the secondtransmitter and second receiver to transfer the game definition andassign unique identities to one or more similar devices and cause otherdevices to begin the game in a coordinated manner. During the game theelectronic controller acts to record for later analysis such events asare relevant according to the game definition, for example number ofreceipts of each valid tag signature or important active-area beaconsignature. After the game the electronic controller acts to: interrogateby use of the second transmitter and second receiver each other similarunit which was given the game definition and assigned a unique identitybefore the game, receive from each such similar unit the relevant gameevents data recorded in that unit, aggregate this data and calculateperformance rankings for the individual players and/or teams of playersin the game, broadcast these rankings via the second transmitter to allof the similar units for review by the other human players, and displaythe relevant game events information and ranking data to the human uservia the LCD display. Further, because interference from natural andman-made sources is typically present in the outdoor environment,infrared shooting game devices typically must either send redundantcopies of each transmission or else must use lower data rates combinedwith hardware or software filtering of the received signals to ensurereliable reception of the data.

Because of the difficulty in maintaining line-of-sight infraredcommunications over time, it is desirable to transmit the requiredinformation in the shortest time possible for the required data. To thisend, the system disclosed herein uses signatures of variable length sothat no time is required for the sending of unnecessary data bits andyet no meaning is lost since the extra information is expressed by thecount of bits in the signature. The receiving device may know what typeof data was sent by counting the number of data bits received, and thusmay know immediately whether the information was intended as a beacon,tag, data byte, or a marker for the start or end of a data packet,without the sending unit having to add additional bits to convey thisinformation. By this means communications time is minimized, maximumreuse of available combinations of bits is achieved, and the ability toperform data type error checking is realized. For example, a value ofhexadecimal 00 may represent any of several multiple meanings such as abeacon from a Team 0 player reporting no recent hits taken (5 databits), a tag of 1 hit point fired by Player 0 on Team 0 (7 data bits), avalue of 0 transferred between units as data within a communicationspacket (8 data bits), or the start of a communications packet whichbegins the countdown to game in the various participants (9 data bits).

Exemplary Game-Programming Communications

As previously mentioned, games are selected and defined through the useof a menu-driven process in which the user inputs data to the systemsoftware through the various input buttons, and the software displaysprompts and selected values on the displays. In addition to pre-definedgames which the user may not modify, the system also allows the user toselect games which the user may then customize to his/her own liking.Once the game has been fully defined (either by default or by usermodification), this definition is automatically passed from the host toall joiners in the area.

An example of the information transmitted from the Host to the Joinersin order to define the game is as follows:

Type of Order byte Value Meaning 1 Ptype $0C Special Game Definition 2Data $2C Host's I.D. code (randomly chosen for each game) 3 Data $15Game will last 15 minutes 4 Data $50 Each player is “out” after taking50 tags 5 Data $FF Each player has an unlimited number of reloads 6 Data$45 Each player has 45 seconds of shields time 7 Data $12 Each playerhas 12 Megas 8 Data $28 Packed Flags Byte #1 = 00101000 9 Data $A2Packed Flags Byte #2 = 10100010 10 Data $32 ASCII Character “2” 11 Data$5A ASCII Character “Z” 12 Data $4F ASCII Character “O” 13 Data $4EASCII Character “N” 14 Csum $E6 (8-bit total of all preceding bytes)

The foregoing packet defines a special game which will be hosted by aunit calling itself “2C”. The game will last for 15 minutes, and in thisgame each player will have 50 tags until tagged out, unlimited reloads,45 seconds of shield time, and 12 mega tags available. The game will becalled 2ZON (short for “2 Zones”), and the details of how it will beplayed are defined by the two Packed Flags bytes that include:

$28: 00101000 DX = 0: Extended Tagging not required to disable playersAL = 0: Ammunition (Reloads) is not limited ML = 1: Mega tags arelimited FF = 0: Friendly Fire does not affect teammates MM = 1: MedicMode is allowed TT = 0: Rapid Tags are not ignored HH = 0: Teams are notdivided into Hunters and Hunteds SD = 0: Hunters-Hunteds StartingDirection is irrelevant $A2: 10100010 ZG = 1: There are Zones ofcontention in this game BT = 0: Bases are not associated with teams TD =1: Tagged players are temporarily disabled BU = 0: Base areas do notun-disable tagged players BH = 0: Base areas are not Hospitals BF = 0:Base areas do not Fire at players NT = 10: Number of Teams in the gameis 2

An example of data being transmitted during a text message sequence

Order Type of byte Value Meaning 1 Ptype $80 Text Message 2 Data $48 H 3Data $45 E 4 Data $4C L 5 Data $4C L 6 Data $4F O 14 Csum $F4 (8-bittotal of all preceding bytes)

The forgoing packet defines a Text Message transmission during gameplay.The receiving unit will display “HELLO” in the alpha numeric LCD displayof the receiving unit.

As can be appreciated, the software may allow for additional Packed FlagBytes to be sent to tell joiner units how to process other situationsbeyond those already covered in the foregoing description and example.Units encountering situations for which no Packed Flag Bytes are sentwill simply ignore the situation and not allow it to affect gameplay. Ifthe game definition broadcast by the host involves dividing the variousjoining players into functional teams, the joining players may thenselect a preferred team to associate with. Alternatively, if the joinerhas no team preference or the joiner's preferred team is full, the hostmay assign the joiner to a particular team. After any needed teampreference has been supplied, the joiner unit automatically communicateswith the host to receive an assigned player ID.

Once the host has determined that all units have been joined into thegame (either because no new unit has requested an ID, because the hostuser has told the host unit that all other units have been joined orbecause there is no room left in the game for any more units to join),the host initiates a thirty second t-minus countdown and broadcasts theT-minus value along with a set of bytes identifying all units that weresuccessfully joined to the game. When the joiner units receive thisbroadcast information they will then know when to start the actual game(based on the t-minus countdown value), which signatures are and are notvalid in this game (based on the Packet Flag bytes and the list of validIDs sent with the t-minus value) and how long to play the game (based onthe information received in the game definition).

During the T-Minus countdown, an additional feature called “Cloning” maybe allowed. In the Cloning process, two units being operated by a singleplayer agree to share a single Player ID and some of the resources andliabilities assigned to the player by the Host. While the first of thesetwo units, called the “Master,” Joins or Hosts the game in the normalfashion, a second unit called the “Slave” listens for the gameparticulars as transmitted by the host but does not request nor receivea unique Player ID. Instead, once the T-Minus countdown has begun, it is“programmed” by the Master with the Player ID it will use during thegame. This process is accomplished by sending and receiving Tagsignatures using the directional transceivers during the T-minuscountdown period, a time during which tag signatures would otherwise bemeaningless as the game has not actually started yet. The Master sends aplurality of basic Tag Signatures which are received by the Slave, andthe Slave responds by echoing a plurality of the same Tag Signature butwith a different pattern of “extended Information” bits (1 extra tagpoint). If the Master receives the correct response, it considers theCloning to have been successful and responds with a single tag signatureof the same ID but having yet different “extended information” bits (2extra tag points), and the Slave upon receiving this signature willconsider the Cloning to have been successful. But if the Master does notreceive the correct response, it sends a plurality of significantlydifferent Tag Signatures to indicate that the process has failed andmust be attempted again. Once the Master and Slave have determined thatthe Cloning process has been a success, they each divide thenumber-of-tags-until-out and the number of reloads available per playerbetween themselves (the Master receiving the larger share if it cannotbe evenly divided), and the two units will play through the programmedduration of the game with the same basic game definition and Player ID.Once the game has concluded, the Master may collect such data from theSlave as is needed for reporting back to the Host, allowing the Host toproperly score a game in which the single player has used multiple gameunits to achieve his score.

Once the t-minus countdown reaches t-minus-zero (T-00) the game beginsautomatically and runs for the predetermined game duration or until thehost declares an early end to the game (by beginning thedebriefing/interrogation process early). During the game all signatureinteractions that are important to the game, such as tag signaturesreceived, Zone area signatures received and the like are recorded byeach unit so that the host unit may compare each player's and eachteam's gameplay after completion of the game. A player may be“tagged-out” before the game ends in which case his/her unit remainsdisabled until the end of the game and is then debriefed by the hostjust as if he/she had not been tagged-out.

When the game ends, the host then interrogates/queries all joiner unitsinitially joined to the game for their recorded data. Each unit beinginterrogated then reports the requested gameplay data for that unit backto the host. The host combines all of the data received from each joinerunit, processes or otherwise analyzes the data and compares the resultsfor each player (and also for the various teams, if applicable) in thegame. The host then, based on the scoring parameters for the game, ranksall of the players and teams. Any joiner unit that is not debriefed byor otherwise does not communicate with the host after the game istreated as a unit that never joined the game. The compiled scores areranked, and the resulting ranks are transmitted by the host to alljoiners. Each player in the game can thus know one or more of thefollowing: how well he or she performed individually (based on theobjectives of the game), how well his or her team performed as a team(again based on the objectives of the game) and how well he or sheperformed individually versus each of the other individuals in the game(based on tags transmitted to the other players versus tags receivedfrom other players).

Exemplary Gameplay

CLASSIC LAZER TAG (LTAG)—The object of this game is to be the lastplayer not tagged out. In the Classic LAZER TAG game, all other playersare your opponents.

Preset game features include:

No Hosting, game starts immediately at T-10

No Teams or Player ID's

Any number of players may play

15 seconds of Shield time allowed

Unlimited Reloads

12 Mega-Tags

Players are tagged out after taking 10 Tags

No score ranking—last player NOT tagged out wins.

After being tagged out, a player's elapsed time in the game (from thestart of the game to the time at which the player is tagged out) isdisplayed on the player's screen.

CUSTOM LAZER TAG (CUST)—The object of this game is to be the last playernot tagged out, while scoring as many tags against your opponents aspossible. In the Custom LAZER TAG game, all other players are youropponents. This variation of Classic LAZER TAG allows all game optionsto be programmable.

Game features include:

Fully hosted, (requires hosting/joining) and supports post-gamedebriefing

2-24 players may be in the game, players have individual ID's

No Teams, All players are opponents of each other

Time—1-99 minutes, (default=10 min)

Reloads—0-99 or Unlimited (default=Unlimited)

Mega-Tags—0-99 or Unlimited (default=10)

Shields—0-99 seconds (default=15)

Tags—1-99 (default=10)

Ranking is individual only

2-TEAM CUSTOMIZED LAZER TAG (2TMS) and 3-TEAM CUSTOMIZED LAZER TAG(3TMS)—The object of these games is to have the most number of yourteam's players remain in the game while scoring as many tags as possibleon opposing players. In these games, some of the other players are onthe same team as you, while others are on one or two opposing teams.

Game features of the foregoing team customized games include:

Fully hosted, (requires hosting/joining) and supports post-gamedebriefing

2 or 3 teams of up to 8 players per team

Team Tags (selectable)—Yes (Y) or No (N) (default=Y)

Medic Mode (selectable)—Yes (Y) or No (N) (default=Y)

Time—1-99 minutes, (default=15 min)

Reloads—0-99 or Unlimited (default=Unlimited)

Mega-Tags—0-99 or Unlimited (default=10)

Shields—0-99 seconds (default=15)

Tags—1-99 (default=20)

Ranking is individual and team

HIDE AND SEEK (HDSK)—The object of this game is to score as many tags aspossible on the other team while seeking them, and avoid taking tagswhile hiding from them. Players are divided into two teams. At any giventime, one team is seeking while the other team is hiding. The teamsswitch between seeking and hiding every 60 seconds.

Game features include:

Fully hosted, (requires hosting/joining) and supports post-gamedebriefing

2 teams of up to 8 players per team

Team Tags (selectable)—Yes (Y) or No (N) (default=Y)

Medic Mode (selectable)—Yes (Y) or No (N) (default=Y)

Time—2-98 minutes (minutes in multiples of 2), (default=10 min)

Reloads—0-99 or Unlimited (default=5)

Mega-Tags—0-99 or Unlimited (default=15)

Shields—0-99 seconds (default=30)

Tags—1-99 (default=25)

Ranking is individual and team:

HUNT THE PREY (HUNT)—The object of this game is to score as many tags aspossible on the other team while seeking them, and avoid taking as manytags as possible while hiding from them. This game is like Hide andSeek, but with the added complexity that players are divided into threeteams. At any given time, your team will be hunting one team whilehiding from the other team. Every 60 seconds the hunting directionswitches so that you must now hide from the team you were just huntingand hunt the team you were just hiding from.

Game features include:

Fully hosted (requires hosting/joining) and supports post-gamedebriefing

3 Teams. Up to 8 players on each team

Team Tags (selectable)—Yes (Y) or No (N) (default=Y)

Medic Mode (selectable)—Yes (Y) or No (N) (default=Y)

Time—2-98 minutes (minutes in multiples of 2) (default=10 min)

Reloads—0-99 or Unlimited (default=5)

Mega-Tags—0-99 or Unlimited (default=15)

Shields—0-99 seconds (default=30)

Tags—1-99 (default=25)

Ranking is individual and team:

2-KINGS (2KNG) and 3-KINGS (3KNG)—The object of these games is to tagout the opposing team's King while protecting your own king. The Kingson any of the teams are not known to the other teams, but a clue is thatthe King's device will not send out an identifying (IFF) signal.

Game features include:

Fully hosted (requires hosting/joining) and supports post-gamedebriefing

2 or 3 Teams. Up to 8 players on each team

Team Tags (selectable)—Yes (Y) or No (N) (default=Y)

Medic Mode (selectable)—Yes (Y) or No (N) (default=Y)

Time—1-99 minutes (default=15 min for 2-KINGS, and 30 min for 3-KINGS)

Reloads—0-99 or Unlimited (default=20)

Mega-Tags—0-99 or Unlimited (default=00)

Shields—0-99 seconds (default=30)

Tags—1-99 (default=15)

Ranking is individual and team:

Zone Games—in Zone games the host's device becomes the Zone TAGGER. TheZone TAGGER does not participate in the game as a player although itstill performs all set-up and programming functions and performs thedebriefing at the end of the game. The Zone TAGGER creates the Zone bygenerating a 360° infrared light field using its omnidirectionaltransceiver. The Zone TAGGER should always be stationary during a gameand positioned on a stable surface with the omnidirectional transceiverpointing straight up and level with the ground. The Zone TAGGER shouldbe located in a place so that the Zone can fill a large area withoutobstructions that may create dead spots within the Zone.

All devices in the game operate to sense the Zone using theiromnidirectional transceivers. Devices accumulate “Zone Time” wheneverthe device can sense the Zone and multiple players may be in the Zone atthe same time. A player may remain in the Zone as long as he/she is not“Neutralized.” When a player takes a tag from any other player, whetherhe/she is in the Zone or not, the tagged player becomes “Neutralized”for 15 seconds. The neutralized device will display “NEUT” on the devicedisplay and a fifteen-second countdown. A neutralized player cannot tagother players, be tagged by other players, raise shields or add Mega-Tagpower. A neutralized player must leave the Zone within 5 seconds ofbeing tagged and remain completely out of the Zone while neutralized. Ifa player stays in the Zone or returns to the Zone while neutralized, theZone will become “hostile” to that neutralized player. A hostile Zonewill cause a player's device to take multiple tags from the Zone at apace fast that may completely tag out the neutralized player from thegame within just a few seconds.

OWN THE ZONE (OWNZ)—The object of the game is to accumulate as much ZoneTime as possible. Own the Zone is a strategic individual game where allplayers are opponents. Players should focus on getting into and stayingin the Zone as long as possible without getting tagged, rather thanattacking the opponents. The player with most Zone Time wins the game.It should be noted that multiple players can be in the Zone at the sametime, as long as they can avoid getting tagged.

Game features include:

Fully hosted (requires hosting/joining) and supports post-gamedebriefing

2-24 players

No Teams. All players are opponents

Time—1-99 minutes, (default=10 min)

Reloads—0-99 or Unlimited (default=15)

Mega-Tags—0-99 or Unlimited, (default=0)

Shields—0-99 seconds (default=45)

Tags—1-99 (default=10)

Ranking is individual only

2-TEAMS OWN THE ZONE (2TOZ) and 3-TEAMS OWN THE ZONE (3TOZ)—The objectof the game is to accumulate as much collective Zone Time as possiblefor the whole team. These two games are played in the same way as theIndividual game of Own the Zone except that the players are divided intoteams.

Game features include:

Fully hosted, (requires hosting/joining) and supports post-gamedebriefing

2 or 3 Teams. Up to 8 players on each team

Team Tags—Yes (Y) or No (N) (default=Y)

Time—1-99 minutes, (default=15 min for 2-TEAMS OWN THE ZONE, and 20 minfor S-TEAMS OWN THE ZONE)

Reloads—0-99 or Unlimited (default=15)

Mega-Tags—0-99 or Unlimited, (default=0)

Shields—0-99 seconds (default=45)

Tags—1-99 (default=10)

Score ranking is Individual and Team

Referring now to FIG. 10, the hand held device 600 is shown with anassortment of accessories that may be removably coupled to the device600. FIG. 10 shows two barrels, a narrow barrel 602 for narrow angleshooting and a wide barrel 604 for wide angle shooting, two sights, aniron sight 606 and a scope 608, and two grips, a shielded grip 610 and apistol grip 612. Each different combination of barrel, scope, and gripprovides a different accessory based configuration of the gun hardwareand software operation, allowing for increased variation in weaponbehavior and appearance.

In the preferred embodiments, the interfaces between the gun and theaccessories may be accomplished via an “active rail” interface or an“intelligent rail” interface.

In the active rail interface, the gun is able to sense the presence orabsence of the accessory, and possibly identify the specific accessorypresent from amongst a list of possible accessories programmed into thegun software in advance. A sensor may be used to detect presence of suchapparatus coupled to device, and the electronic controller disposed withsoftware changes the function of the device based on the presence orabsence of apparatus. The sensor is provided with appropriate sensingmeans and may comprise one or more switches. The gun modifies itssoftware functions in a predetermined manner according to the specificcombination of accessories which it has detected. The apparatus is thusremovably coupled to the device, with the apparatus sending anidentifying signal to said first electronic controller when coupled tothe device. The device accordingly is provides with at least one gameplay configuration definition, and its controller may send the game playconfiguration definition with the combination of one or more apparatus,modifying the game play configuration definition at the electroniccontroller. The accessory may also alter the electronic circuit of thegun directly, in a manner not directly detected by the gun's processor.

In the intelligent rail interface, the accessory contains a processorand the rail provides for a bi-directional communications link betweeneach accessory's processor and the gun's processor. In this system, theaccessory directs how the gun's software will react to the presence ofthe accessory by directing the gun's software operation. It is thisadvancement that makes the intelligent system so flexible. The detailsof exactly what each accessory or combination of accessories will do tothe gun's software and hardware functioning does not have to bedetermined in advance. The line of accessories does not have to beplanned out in advance since it is the accessory itself (rather than thegun) that decides how the gun will react to the accessory's presence.Each accessory commands the gun's software to modify whichever elementor elements are appropriate.

Active Rail Interface

Upon coupling one or more of the accessories to the device 600,identifying signals are received by a first electronic controller in thedevice 600 so that the controller may determine which accessories arepresent. Consequently, the first electronic controller may determine howthe software configuration will be modified to best match thecombination of accessories present and any effect they may have on thehardware configuration.

The narrow barrel 602 and the wide barrel 604 may also contain aninfrared source and collimating lenses as well as circuitry to inhibitthe generation of an infrared signal from the device 600 and insteadgenerate it from within the barrel 602, 604. This setup provides theability to have great variation in the use of the infrared signals withthe infrared sources used independently or in combination. Thus, manydifferent weapon types may be simulated.

Accessories such as barrels 602, 604 may further contain circuitry whichacts in conjunction with the transmitter section of device 600 to alterthe transmitter circuit so as to cause the IR to be generated from anemitter or emitters located in the barrel 602, 604 rather than from theemitter or emitters located in device 600. This would be done so as toallow the emitters in barrels 602, 604 to be matched with lenses or suchother optical elements as may be required to produce the exact beampattern desired, for example to match the visual appearance of thebarrel. Further, other accessories such as TV game modules (as discussedlater in this description) may use this feature to inhibit IR generationin device 600 when playing against opponents or targets which are merelysimulated and have no physical reality, and, further, the signalspresent within the transmitter circuitry may be monitored by theaccessory device for the purposes of determining when the player hasdirected the device to fire a tag, etc. In addition, this allows foraccessories such as simulated land mines or grenades to capture andrecord the tag signature of the host device and re-transmit it at alater time using their own IR transmitter circuitry.

FIG. 11A shows a schematic for attaching accessories in an active railsystem.

FIG. 11A shows how in one embodiment the various accessories attach tothe device 600 and how the first electronic controller 624 detects whichaccessories are attached. Specifically, this figure displays how theaforementioned grip accessories 610, 612, the scope accessories 606,608, and the barrel accessories 602, 604 are detected by the firstelectronic controller 624. Further, this figure shows how the barrelaccessories 602, 604 also interact with the directional infraredtransmitter 625.

Each combination of barrel, sight, and grip affects six differentvariables that define the device 600 behavior. These variables arepattern, hit points, rate of fire, burst size, magazine size, and shieldtime.

Pattern is a hardware function of the lens and the current level used todrive the infrared emitting diode (IRLED) which generates the tagsignatures. The lens, the IRLED, and the resistor which controls thecurrent through the IRLED of the preferred embodiment of the “activerail” system are all integral to the barrel accessory 602, 604. Howeverit will be appreciated that any or all of these elements could beintegral to the device 600 and selected or not by micro-controller 624and/or circuitry within the barrel accessory 602, 604, dependant on thespecific accessories attached to device 600. The various patterns thatmay be used in the preferred embodiment are a 100′ wide angle shot, a200′ wide angle shot, a 300′ narrow angle shot, and a 400′ narrow angleshot.

Hit points is a software function that controls how many “Mega Tag”points are to be indicated in the tag as described in Table 2.

Rate of fire is a software function that controls how rapidly one shot(tag) may follow the previous shot (tag).

Burst size is a software function that controls the number of shots thatwill be fired if the player holds the trigger.

Magazine size is a software function that determines the number of shotsthat may be fired before the device 600 must be reloaded.

Shield time is a software function that determines or modifies the totalnumber of seconds of shield time available to the player at the start ofthe game.

The next several paragraphs provide examples of how the differentcombinations of accessories configure the device hardware and softwarein order to roughly simulate different types of weapons.

When the wide barrel 604, the iron sight 606, and the pistol grip 612are attached to the device 600, the gun may have the followingcharacteristics: 1) the pattern will be a 100′ wide angle shot; 2) therewill be 1 hit point per tag; 3) the rate of fire will be 4 tags persecond; 4) the burst size will be 1 tag per trigger pull; 5) themagazine will not need reloading; and 6) the shield time will be twicethe shield time programmed at the start of the game. This configurationsimulates a fantasy type pistol that never needs reloading.

When the narrow barrel 602, the iron sight 606, and the pistol grip 612are attached to the device 600, the gun may have the followingcharacteristics: 1) the pattern will be a 300′ narrow angle shot; 2)there will be 2 hit points per tag; 3) the rate of fire will be 4 tagsper second; 4) the burst size will be 1 tag per trigger pull; 5) themagazine will need reloading after 10 shots; and 6) the shield time willbe the shield time programmed at the start of the game. Thisconfiguration simulates a semi-automatic carbine.

When the wide barrel 604, the scope 608, and the pistol grip 612 areattached to the device 600, the gun may have the followingcharacteristics: 1) the pattern will be a 200′ wide angle shot; 2) therewill be 2 hit points per tag; 3) the rate of fire will be 4 tags persecond; 4) the burst size will be 1 tag per trigger pull; 5) themagazine will need reloading after 10 shots; and 6) the shield time willbe the shield time programmed at the start of the game. Thisconfiguration simulates a semi-automatic pistol.

When the narrow barrel 602, the scope 608, and the pistol grip 612 areattached to the device 600, the gun may have the followingcharacteristics: 1) the pattern will be a 400′ narrow angle shot; 2)there will be 4 hit points per tag; 3) the rate of fire will be 1 tagper second; 4) the burst size will be 1 tag per trigger pull; 5) themagazine will need reloading after 1 shot; and 6) the shield time willbe the shield time programmed at the start of the game. Thisconfiguration simulates a bolt-action (single shot) sniper rifle.

When the narrow barrel 602, the scope 608, and the shield grip 610 areattached to the device 600, the gun may have the followingcharacteristics: 1) the pattern will be a 400′ narrow angle shot; 2)there will be 2 hit points per tag; 3) the rate of fire will be 2 tagsper second; 4) the burst size will be 1 tag per trigger pull; 5) themagazine will need reloading after 5 shots; and 6) the shield time willbe the shield time programmed at the start of the game. Thisconfiguration simulates a semi-automatic sniper rifle.

When the wide barrel 604, the scope 608, and the shield grip 610 areattached to the device 600, the gun may have the followingcharacteristics: 1) the pattern will be a 200′wide angle shot; 2) therewill be 1 hit point per tag; 3) the rate of fire will be 5 tags persecond; 4) the burst size will be 5 tags per trigger pull; 5) themagazine will need reloading after 20 shots; and 6) the shield time willbe one-half the shield time programmed at the start of the game. Thisconfiguration simulates a sub-machine gun.

When the narrow barrel 602, the iron sight 606, and the shield grip 610are attached to the device 600, the gun may have the followingcharacteristics: 1) the pattern will be a 300′ narrow angle shot; 2)there will be 1 hit point per tag; 3) the rate of fire will be 6 tagsper second; 4) the burst size will be 10 tags per trigger pull; 5) themagazine will need reloading after 10 shots; and 6) there will be noshield time. This configuration simulates an assault rifle.

When the wide barrel 604, the iron sight 606, and the shield grip 610are attached to the device 600, the gun may have the followingcharacteristics: 1) the pattern will be a 100′ wide angle shot; 2) therewill be 1 hit point per tag; 3) the rate of fire will be 8 tags persecond; 4) the burst size will be 10 tags per trigger pull; 5) themagazine will need reloading after 10 shots; and 6) the shield time willbe the shield time programmed at the start of the game. Thisconfiguration simulates a machine pistol.

Intelligent Rail Interface

As an example of the intelligent rail interface, referring to FIG. 12A,the accessories 616-620 each contain a second electronic controller sothat when the accessory is attached to the device 614 there will be abidirectional channel facilitating communication between the firstelectronic controller and the second electronic controller. This may beaccomplished with dual serial ports. This setup allows intelligentprocessor-to-processor communications between the gun and the accessory.As such, this system provides flexibility and may allow the accessory toperform communications based functions such as game definition, scoring,“healing” players, and re-arming in games with limited ammunition.

FIG. 11B shows a schematic block diagram of the intelligent rail systemused for communication between the shooting device and the accessories.In this example, the accessory described is the shotgun barrel. In FIG.11B, the dotted-lined box on the right represents the device 614, andthe dotted-lined box on the left represents the shotgun barrel accessory616. The device 614 contains a first electronic controller 624 and theshotgun barrel accessory 616 contains a second electronic controller626. The bidirectional channel facilitating communications between thefirst electronic controller 624 and the second electronic controller 626is shown as the intelligent rail 618. Additionally, themicro-controllers 624, 626 each contain software to control theintelligent rail interfaces 620, 622.

As an example of the use of the intelligent rail system, a shotgunmodule may be attached to the device 614. When the shotgun module isattached an exchange of data occurs between micro-controllers 624, 626and as a result micro-controller 624 is made aware of the presence ofthe shotgun accessory 616. When the shotgun barrel 616 is “pumped” byactivating the shotgun reload switch 632, micro-controller 626 sends acommand to micro-controller 624 to alter the manner in which it respondsto the trigger input of device 614. As a result, device 614 will nowfire two shots in response to the next trigger pull rather than thecustomary single shot, and the first of the two shots is a two-pointMega Tag, while the second shot is a standard single-point tag. Theshotgun barrel micro-controller 626 inhibits the generation of theinfrared signal from the device 614, intercepts the signature data fromthe device 614, and generates a first infrared signature through a wideangle LED 630 in the shotgun barrel. The shotgun barrel micro-controller626 then generates a second infrared signature through a narrow angleLED 628 in the shotgun barrel. This produces a shotgun-like pattern. Thedevice 614 then reverts back to a semi-automatic mode and the shotgunmodule ceases interception or inhibition of the signals from device 614until the shotgun barrel is pumped again. Other barrel accessories suchas machinegun barrel 620 may function in a similar manner but have onlya single IRLED and lens, and when pumped command micro-controller 624 tochange from semi-automatic firing at a rate of 4 tags per second tofully-automatic firing at a rate of 8 tags per second for the next 10shots. Non-barrel accessories such as Ammo Box 622 may act to replenishgame resources such as ammunition, health, or shields time by sendingcommands to micro-controller 624 to increase the respective values inmemory which represent these resources.

The aforementioned accessories may be interchangeable during game playto alter the hardware and software operation during a particular game.Thus, the player may have added strategic considerations during a gameby being able to choose the best characteristics of a simulated weaponto fit a particular battle situation. The device 614 may contain memoryfor the purpose of recording the number of times a given accessory isused during a particular game. This data may be used to limit or recordthe number of uses of such an accessory by each player during the game.

Video Game Attachment

Referring now to FIG. 12B, a perspective view of the accessory device618 with connecting cables 632 for use as a photosensitive lightdetecting video game device is shown. For using the device 614 to allowa single player to play a shooting type video game, the accessory device618 houses a light detector for sensing at a distance raster scansegments on the screen of a raster scan display. The light detector isbuilt into the accessory device 618. The video game processor may usethe light detector and a trigger signal from device 614 to determine theorientation of the weapon housing and where the gun was pointing whenthe player pulled the trigger. Both video and audio output may betransmitted to the raster scan display using standard RCA cables632-634.

FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram of a video game processor used duringsingle player game play when attached to a raster scan display. Thevideo game processor is built into the housing for generating videooutput to display simulated players and scenery on the screen. FIG. 13shows that the video controller uses a Generalplus GPL16210A TV chip asthe video game processor controller, however other like controllers maybe used. The TV chip interfaces with a ROM 638 via a data bus and anaddress bus, a serial EEPROM 640 via i/o channels, and three actionbuttons 642 via i/o channels. FIG. 13 also shows several I/O channels644 used for communication with the device 614 micro-controller 624, anda dual RCA connection 634 for audio and video signals to be sent to thedisplay. In operation, signals are sent from micro-controller 624 ofdevice 614 via the intelligent rail interface to TV video game processorchip 636 of device 618, indicative of the user actuating the variousinputs of device 614 such as trigger, shield, and reload. The video gameprocessor 636 then uses this information combined with data from thephoto sensor 646 to determine if the trigger pull coincided with aimingat a simulated opponent image on the screen, and if so then a hit istallied for the player. A data structure which simulates players mayoperate within the video game processor to generate video outputdisplaying at least one of the simulated players shooting at the liveplayer. The data structure will determine whether the simulated playerhit the live player. If the video game processor 636 judges that asimulated opponent has fired a tag which hit the live player, then itmay alert micro-controller 624 of device 614 of this fact by sendingmessages across the intelligent rail interface. By sending commands andmessages across the intelligent rail interface, video game processor 636may direct the device 614 to produce audible, visible, and tactileoutputs in response to game events just as it would do had a tag beenreceived during a normal game between two or more players, or the videogame processor may command the device 614 to not produce such responsesand instead video game processor 636 may instead simulate such responsesas part of the displayed video and audio signals output via cable 632.

Intelligent Rail Augmented Reality Interface

The intelligent rail interface may also be used with a mobile electronicdevice, such as an iPhone™, iTouch™, Android™ phone or other smartphone, as the accessory to provide augmented reality gaming for a singleplayer to train or for multiple players. FIG. 14 is a perspective viewof an exemplary infrared shooting game device with a removably coupledmobile electronic device. In a described embodiment, the device 700 hasa shaped housing 702, a first directional infrared transmitter disposedwithin the housing for transmitting directional IR data using a narrowlight beam, a first omni-directional field of view receiver disposedwithin the housing to receive IR data and a first electronic controllerdisposed within the housing. A first apparatus 704, or mobile electronicdevice, is removably coupled to the housing a bracket 706 and cowl 708to hold the first apparatus 704. The first apparatus 704 has a camera714 that has a field of view through a camera hole 712 in the bracket706 and cowl 708. The first apparatus 704 also has a display 710 thathas a touch screen interface.

The first apparatus 704 also has a second electronic controller and whenthe first apparatus 704 is coupled to the housing 702 communicationsbetween the device and the apparatus is enabled. In a describedembodiment, the communication between the device and the apparatusbegins after the first electronic controller sends a carrier signal tothe second controller for handshake communications. The first apparatusfurther has a sensor that produces data defining the real-time spatialorientation of the first apparatus. A first data structure stores thedata defining the real-time spatial orientation of the first apparatus704; a second data structure stores data defining one or more virtualobjects; and a third data structure stores data defining the real-timespatial orientation of the one or more virtual objects relative to thereal-time spatial orientation of the first apparatus 704. A first memorystores a real-time image of the field of view 714; a second memorystores a real-time image of the one or more virtual objects that arepositioned such that the real-time spatial orientation of the one ormore virtual objects relative to the real-time spatial orientation ofthe first apparatus 704 is within the field of view 714; and a thirdmemory stores a software program controlled by the second electroniccontroller that causes the image in the first memory to be shown on thedisplay 710 and the image in the second memory to be superimposed overthe image in the first memory on the display 710. This allows thecombination of the real-time image of the field of view 714 and thevirtual objects to provide an augmented reality experience.

Still referring to FIG. 14, the device 700 has a bidirectional channelfacilitating communication between the first electronic controller inthe housing 702 and the second electronic controller in the firstapparatus 704. This communication is accomplished by connecting theapparatus communications connector 716 and the housing communicationsconnector 718 with a communications cable 720 connecting the firstapparatus 704 to the hand held device 700 as the bidirectional channelfacilitating communication between the first electronic controller andthe second electronic controller. The device 700 further has one or moretriggers 722 that, when depressed, causes a signal to be sent to thefirst apparatus 704 so that the first apparatus can respond.

In some embodiments, the shaped housing 702 may have a body section 703,a barrel section 705 and a grip section 707. A first infraredtransmitter is located in the barrel section 705 and produces asubstantially directional beam projecting forward from the housing 702.A first infrared receiver is located in the barrel section 705 and has anarrow field of view looking forward of the housing 702 and parallel tothe beam of the first infrared transmitter. A second infraredtransmitter is located on top of or within the body section 703 and hasan omni-directional pattern which illuminates an area approximately 360degrees about the body section 703. A second infrared receiver islocated on top of or within the body section 703 and has anomni-directional view approximately 360 degrees about the housing 702. Afirst electronic controller is disposed within the housing 702 andconnected electrically to the first and second infrared transmitters andfirst and second infrared receivers. In some embodiments, an inputdevice is connected to the first electronic controller and receivescommands from the human player, and an output device is used foroutputting status information to the human player. In other embodiments,user input and output is handled by the second controller or acombination of the first controller and the second controller.

The bidirectional channel facilitates communication between the firstelectronic controller and the second electronic controller. The handheld device 700 may have a fourth data structure for storing datadefining a real-time virtual shot trajectory originating from the handheld device 700 and in response to a first signal from the firstelectronic controller to the second electronic controller, the softwareprogram causes a shot image to travel across the display 710 along thereal-time virtual shot trajectory superimposed over the image shown onthe display 710. When the shot image crosses a virtual object, thesoftware program causes a graphical animation to appear on the display710 superimposed over the real-time image of the field of view 714.During game play, the one or more virtual objects travel within thedisplay, and the software program causes the one or more virtual objectsto shoot a virtual shot towards the participant using the hand helddevice 700. The combination of the data in the first data structure, thesecond data structure and the third data structure determine whether theparticipant using the hand held device 700 is hit by the virtual shotfrom the virtual object. In response to a second signal from the firstelectronic controller to the second electronic controller, the softwareprogram receives game-related data sent from the first electroniccontroller to the second electronic controller and superimposes thegame-related data over the real-time image of the field of view 714.Thus, the device 700 provides for augmented reality gaming inconjunction with multiplayer Lazer Tag.

The hand held device 700 may use a cable 720 to couple the firstapparatus 704 to the hand held device 700 as the bidirectional channelfacilitating communication between the first electronic controller andthe second electronic controller. The hand held device 700 may furtheruse a speaker to provide audio feedback controlled by the softwareprogram and use a touch screen display 710 for user input through thesecond controller.

FIG. 15A is a screen shot from the display on the first apparatus duringa solo augmented reality game with virtual opponents 724 a-e. Thevirtual opponents 724 a-e, described as virtual objects above, appearsuperimposed over the real-time background 736 to provide the augmentedreality. A game player may shoot at the virtual opponents 724 a-e bypulling the trigger 722 on the device 700 and creating a virtual shot.The virtual shot will move across the screen, and, if a virtual opponent724 a-e is hit, an animation will appear indicating the tag. A virtualopponent shot 725 appears on the display 710 to simulate one of thevirtual opponents 724 a-e shooting at the real player. The virtualopponents 724 a-e are superimposed over the real-time background 736using the second electronic controller. Also superimposed over thereal-time background 736 are a radar 726 that shows the positions of thevirtual opponents 724 a-e, time remaining 728 in the game, the weaponselected 730, the damage taken 732 and the health remaining 734 as apercentage.

FIG. 15B is a screen shot from the display on the first apparatus duringa multiplayer augmented reality game with real opponents 738 a-g. Thereal opponents 738 a-g appear in the real-time background 736. A gameplayer may shoot at any one of the real opponents 738 a-g by pulling thetrigger 722 on the device 700 and creating a virtual shot 740. Thevirtual shot 740 will move across the screen, and, if any of the realopponents 738 a-g is hit, an additional animation will appear on thescreen indicating the tag. The virtual shots 740 are superimposed overthe real-time background 736 using the second electronic controller. InFIG. 15B, the virtual shot 740 is displayed as a lightning bolt andshows that the virtual shot 740 tagged three people. Also superimposedover the real-time background 736 are a radar 726 that shows thepositions of the real opponents 738 a-g, time remaining 728 in the game,the weapon selected 730, the damage taken 732 and the health remaining734 as a percentage.

Through FIG. 16A-FIG. 16D and FIG. 17A-FIG. 17C and the following, anexemplary iOS game is described. In the exemplary game, tagger eventsand status information will be shown on the display, and the user willbe able to control certain tagger functions from the iOS device. Also,augmented reality game play may be superimposed on top of the real worldtag game.

When beginning the game play, the user has some options through astandard iOS menu interface. In an exemplary first screen, a menuappears allowing a player to host a game, to join an existing game, tostart an unhosted game or to define a player profile. If a playerchooses to host a game by touching the appropriate menu area on thetouch screen, then options such as “Game Type”, “Game Options” and“Invite Guests” may appear. If a player selects “Game Type”, then avariety of game types may appear for individual, team or zone controltype play. Once the game type is selected, the player may return to theprevious menu and select “Invite Guests” to invite players to join thegame as instructed on the display. Other players will receiveinstructions on their displays for joining the game to which they wereinvited. In an unhosted game, the player may join a game where everyplayer fends for himself or herself and no scoring or player names aretracked. If a player is defining a player profile, the player may havethe option to select a name, choose team affiliation, select weapons touse, and configure shield use, among other possible options. Once a gameis initiated, a countdown will occur and the game will start when thecountdown is finished.

Once the countdown is finished and the game starts, the main display isa Heads Up Display. FIG. 16A is a screen shot from the display on thefirst apparatus during a multiplayer augmented reality game with noplayers in the field of view and demonstrates the Heads Up Display. TheHeads Up Display shows the real-time field of view with game parameterssuperimposed so the player can track status. FIG. 16A shows a differentstyle of presenting the augmented reality over the real-time backgroundthan shown earlier. In the lower left-hand corner of the display, ahemispherical radar 744 is shown with no opponents, which corresponds tohaving no opponents in the field of view. Also shown in the lowerleft-hand corner is the game time remaining 746. In the right-handcorner, the game player sees the weapon selected 748 and the amount ofclip ammunition remaining 750. Also in the right-hand corner, the gameplayer sees a shield icon 752 to indicate that a shield is available andthe shield time remaining 754. The player further sees an air strikeicon 756 to indicate that air strikes are available and the number ofair strikes remaining 758. How the augmented reality air strikes operateis described below. In the upper left-hand corner of FIG. 16A, a healthremaining 762 bar graph is shown. During game play, if a game player istagged, the health remaining 762 diminishes. During some augmentedreality games, the health remaining 762 may increase with certainactivities. Lastly, the center of FIG. 16A shows a target sight 760 thatshows where a game player's shots will travel and will indicate when anopponent, virtual or real, is within firing range.

FIG. 16B is a screen shot from the display on the first apparatus duringa multiplayer augmented reality game with a virtual shot animationsuperimposed over the real-time field of view. When the player pulls thetrigger on the device 700 to fire a shot, a virtual shot animation 764appears that emanates from the bottom of the display and vanishes intothe target sight 760. In the exemplary game, a firing sound is heardwhen the shot is fired.

FIG. 16C is a screen shot from the display on the first apparatus duringa multiplayer augmented reality game with an opposing player in thefield of view. When the player has locked on to an opponent 766, thetarget sight 760 changes color, for example from white to red, and in anexemplary hosted game, the opponent's 766 name appears at the top of thescreen and a sound is heard indicating the locked on status. Also in theexemplary game, if the opponent 766 has his or her shield up, then thetarget sight 760 and the opponent's 766 name are shown in a third colorand a corresponding sound is heard.

FIG. 16D is a screen shot from the display on the first apparatus duringa multiplayer augmented reality game with an animation superimposed overthe real-time field of view for when an opposing player is tagged. Thisfigure shows that when an opposing player is hit with a shot, or tagged,an explosion animation 768 is superimposed over the real-time background736. In the exemplary game, an explosion sound is heard to correspond tothe explosion animation 768. If the player receives a tag from anopposing player, the screen flashes red and a damage indicating sound isheard. However, if the player has his or her shield activated, thescreen displays a shield overlay and a shield indicator sound is heard.

FIG. 17A is a weapon selection screen shot from the display on the firstapparatus during a multiplayer augmented reality game with an airstrikechosen. The selected weapon 770 is highlighted and the optional selectedweapons 772 are shown faded. In this example, an augmented realityairstrike is the selected weapon 770. In the exemplary game, anairstrike involves three virtual airplanes launched to attack theplayer. If the player does not have a shield activated, then the playermust shoot down the airplanes before the airplanes fire virtual shotsthat hit the player. The airplanes are mapped relative to real space, sothe player must track them as they fly overhead. The player will hearthe airplanes as they fly within range. FIG. 17B is a screen shot fromthe display on the first apparatus during a multiplayer augmentedreality game during an airstrike with an enemy in range. In theexemplary game, the defending player will hear a warning over the radiobefore seeing the virtual airstrike attackers 774 a-c come into thefield of view. Note from FIG. 17B that the player is aiming the weaponupward towards the corner of the ceiling and the wall to track theoverhead attack. If the player shoots one of the virtual airstrikeattackers 774 a-c, an appropriate animation is seen and an appropriateexplosion sound is heard. The virtual airstrike attackers 774 a-c mustbe individually shot and destroyed. A surviving airplane will shoot theplayer and cause damage. FIG. 17C is a screen shot from a multiplayeraugmented reality game during an airstrike where the player was tagged.Note that when a player is hit, the background indicator 776 will appearas a change in background color.

While the present invention has been illustrated by a description ofvarious embodiments and while these embodiments have been set forth inconsiderable detail, it is intended that the scope of the invention bedefined by the appended claims. It will be appreciated by those skilledin the art that modifications to the foregoing preferred embodiments maybe made in various aspects. It is deemed that the spirit and scope ofthe invention encompass such variations to be preferred embodiments aswould be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art and familiar withthe teachings of the present application.

What is claimed is:
 1. A hand held device for an infrared shooting gamehaving two or more participants, the device comprising: a shapedhousing; a first directional infrared transmitter disposed within thehousing for transmitting directional IR data using a narrow light beam;and a first omni-directional field of view receiver disposed within thehousing to receive IR data; a first electronic controller disposedwithin the housing; and a communication protocol wherein the firstdirectional infrared transmitter will transmit a series of encodedinfrared light signals which form a signature comprising, an activesynchronization pulse of duration X or 2X; an inactive pause of durationY; a first active data pulse comprising a “0” state defined by an activepulse of less than half the duration of the duration X synchronizationpulse or less than a quarter duration of the duration 2X synchronizationpulse; a second active data pulse comprising a “1” state defined by anactive pulse of more than half the time duration of the duration Xsynchronization pulse or more than a quarter the duration of theduration 2X synchronization pulse; and a last inactive pause the followsa series of said first or second active data pulses, said last inactivepause being longer than duration 2Y.
 2. The hand held device of claim 1wherein the signature comprises the active synchronization pulse ofduration X or 2X being of either 3 ms+/−10% or 6 ms+/−10% respectivelyand the inactive pause of duration Y being of 2 ms+/−10%.
 3. The handheld device of claim 1 wherein the signature comprises the activesynchronization pulse of duration X or 2X being of either 3 ms+/−10% or6 ms+/−10% respectively and the inactive pause of duration Y being of 2ms+/−10%, said series of said first or second active data pulsesfollowed by said last inactive pause numbering no less than 5 and nogreater than 9 active data pulses with the last inactive pause beinglonger than 20 ms.
 4. The hand held device of claim 2 wherein thesignature is preceded by a pre-synchronization pulse with an activeperiod followed by pause.
 5. The hand held device of claim 1 whereinsignatures comprise beacon signatures.
 6. The hand held device of claim5 wherein signatures further comprise tag signatures which include asynchronization pulse.
 7. The hand held device of claim 5 whereinsignatures further comprise packet signatures which include asynchronization pulse.
 8. The hand held device of claim 1 furthercomprising: a first apparatus removably coupled to the device, the firstapparatus comprising, a second electronic controller; and an identifyingsignal sent from the first apparatus to the first electronic controller;and a bidirectional channel facilitating communications between saidfirst electronic controller and said second electronic controller.
 9. Ahand held device for an infrared shooting game which will transmit andreceive a series of encoded infrared light signals which form asignature comprising: an active synchronization pulse of duration X or2X; an inactive pause of duration Y; a first active data pulsecomprising a “0” state defined by an active pulse of less than half theduration of the duration X synchronization pulse or less than a quarterduration of the duration 2X synchronization pulse; a second active datapulse comprising a “1” state defined by an active pulse of more thanhalf the time duration of the duration X synchronization pulse or morethan a quarter the duration of the duration 2X synchronization pulse;and a last inactive pause that follows a series of said first or secondactive data pulses, said last inactive pause being longer than duration2Y.
 10. The hand held device of claim 9 wherein the signature comprisesthe active synchronization pulse of duration X or 2X being of either 3ms+/−10% or 6 ms+/−10% respectively and the inactive pause of duration Ybeing of 2 ms+/−10%.
 11. The hand held device of claim 9 wherein thesignature comprises the active synchronization pulse of duration X or 2Xbeing of either 3 ms+/−10% or 6 ms+/−10% respectively and the inactivepause of duration Y being of 2 ms+/−10%, said series of said first orsecond active data pulses followed by said last inactive pause numberingno less than 5 and no greater than 9 active data pulses with the lastinactive pause being longer than 20 ms.
 12. The hand held device ofclaim 10 wherein the signature is preceded by a pre-synchronizationpulse with an active period of 3 ms+/−10% followed by pause of 6ms+/−10%.
 13. The hand held device of claim 9 wherein signatures aredivided into beacon signatures, tag signatures and packet signatures.14. The hand held device of claim 13 wherein beacon signatures include a6 ms+/−10% synchronization pulse.
 15. The hand held device of claim 13wherein tag signatures and packet signatures include a 3 ms+/−10%synchronization pulse.